


When You Wish Upon a Star

by sociallyawkward_fics



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Archangel Gabriel (Supernatural), Disney Movies, Disney References, Disney Songs, Fluff, M/M, Trickster Gabriel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-06
Updated: 2016-09-16
Packaged: 2018-07-29 15:16:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 28,970
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7689649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sociallyawkward_fics/pseuds/sociallyawkward_fics
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Gabriel gets sick of Dean and Castiel pining after each other, and he decides to do something about it. And by something, he means transporting them to an alternate reality where they have to live through Disney movies until they admit their feelings.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hey everyone! So, this work has actually been in progress for maybe over a year now (because I am weird and like to write the entire fic before posting). The prologue and the first few chapters are older and my writing has gotten better since then, but I didn't want to go back and rewrite half the fic. I will be updating weekly, and if for some reason I don't check [my writing blog](http://sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com/) for a reason why. And without further ado, please enjoy the prologue of When You Wish Upon a Star!

“I’m telling you, Samsquatch, I can do it.” Gabriel said, twirling a lollipop between his lips.

“And I’m telling  _ you _ , Gabriel, they’re never gonna get their heads out of their asses.” Sam rolled his eyes, going back to his laptop.

The boys had just finished another hunt, and had Sam been sitting in the brothers’ shared motel room looking for a new case when Gabriel popped in, golden eyes glinting. He was convinced he was going to get Dean and Cas together once and for all.

“Sambo, I know what I’m doing! Just throw them in the same room for an hour and bang! They’ll have their tongues down the other’s throat in no time.”

“They got locked in a closet last week. For two hours. Your plan would be unsuccessful.” Sam didn’t know why he was bothering. Gabriel was a trickster-archangel for crying out loud, he’d do as he pleased.

Gabriel was silent for an uncharacteristically long time, so Sam turned toward him, bitchface in place. Gabriel was smirking at him, the lollipop forgotten in his hand.

“Samaroni, you wound me. My real plan isn’t  _ that _ simple.” The smirk grew.

Sam’s eyes narrowed. “Gabriel…”

Gabriel’s face split into a full grin and he snapped his fingers. Sam’s world went dark.

* * *

 

Dean opened his eyes. Moments before he had been in a bar hitting on this hot blonde and now he was… He didn’t know where he was. He looked around. The surroundings seemed familiar but – 

“Psst!” Someone hissed. Dean looked around but the only other creature seemed to be a little bird by his hand, perched on what seemed to be the lip of a well. The bird narrowed its eyes at him. Dean didn’t even know birds could  _ do _ that. “ _ Ahem! _ ” It said, and Dean jumped back. It nodded it's head at something behind him, so Dean turned, ready to pounce. When he saw what was there, he relaxed and his face twisted in confusion.

“Cas?” 

“Hello, Dean.”


	2. Someday My Prince Will Come

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first of the universes Castiel and Dean are transported to. They are not happy about it and will try to fight Gabriel with all their power.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the bad chapter summary. I wasn't planning on doing one but then felt like I needed to? Anyway, I actually almost forgot I had to post a chapter today! I've been so busy and exhausted from school it almost slipping my mind! Anyway, here is Chapter 1! I have to say, it's my least favorite chapter. I never really like the movie (you met the guy once and you fall in love? Yeah, right), but I felt like the classics needed to be in here. Plus, it was written close to a year ago and I hate my own writing. But, I hope you guys like it more than I do! Enjoy!

“Cas?”

“Hello, Dean.”

Dean looked at his surroundings again, then paled as he recognized the scenery. Sam had watched Disney movies enough as a kid that he knew where he was.

“Are we in fucking  _ Snow White _ ?”

Cas furrowed his brow and cocked his head to the side. Dean did  _ not _ think it was cute. “I am not familiar with that title.”

Suddenly, the little bird flew from the rim of the well to Dean’s shoulder and pecked at his ear.

“Ow! You son of a-“

“Language, Deano. This is a kid’s movie.” Dean would recognize that voice anywhere. Unfortunately, it seemed he could no longer force sound from his vocal cords. “Now, are you gonna run up to the balcony or do I have to make you?”

Dean huffed angrily and tromped up the stairs to peak through the curtains on the balcony. Gabriel jumped off his shoulder and flew off into the distance, sending both him and Cas a wink. Could birds even wink?

“Dean?” Cas called from the ground.

Dean walked to the balcony railing. “Yeah, Cas?”

“Was that Gabriel?”

“Yeah.”

It was silent for a moment, Cas craning his head up to look at Dean above him and Dean bent over the railing at the waist to see Cas better. He looked at Cas’s clothes. The blue tunic really brought out his eyes, and the tights didn’t exactly leave much to the imagination. Dean found himself fighting down a blush.

“Where are we?” Cas finally asked.

“Well, it looks like Gabriel threw us in a Disney movie for shits and giggles.”

Cas frowned. “I see.”

“Any idea how we can get out?” Dean asked, trying to avoid looking at Cas’s legs.

“We cou-“

Then, Dean blinked and he was lying on the ground in a forest, his arm held above his head as if to protect himself.

“Gotta speed this along, don’t we? Maybe we should just speed through the dwarfs and get straight to poisoning you.”

Dean looked up and saw none other than Gabriel, twirling a knife in his hand. He looked ridiculous in the get-up of the Huntsman, beard and all. He even had the potbelly, his stomach sticking out over the top of the wide belt.

“Dammit, Gabriel, what are we doing here?” Dean growled, rising to his feet.

Gabriel smirked. “Well, Deano, I was bored and thought I’d have a little fun with my brother and his boy toy. Are you enjoying yourself? I know I am.”

“Where’s Sam?”

The smirk grew. “Safe.”

“Gabri-“

“Now, run, or I’ll use this pretty knife here and ruin the whole movie. And we wouldn’t want that, would we?”

Dean couldn’t control his own feet as they took him sprinting off in a random direction. At first, he panicked. He couldn’t make his legs do what he wanted and it was terrifying. Then he thought,  _ Trickster-archangel. Of course he’d do this _ , and stopped trying to fight it. Twigs and branches snapped in his face while rocks and logs made him stumble. Eventually, the rocks and logs got the best of him and he fell face-first into a clearing.

A few animals crowded around him, a particular fawn getting especially close and sticking its nose in his face.

“Hey!” He pushed the fawn slightly and it looked hurt. Okay, this whole “animals showing human expressions” thing was getting kind of creepy. But he’d know those puppy-dog eyes anywhere. “Sammy?”

The fawn huddled up toward him again and sat against him.

“Dammit, Gabe.” Dean growled. “Well,” he sighed, “don’t suppose you know a place for me to crash?”

The fawn stood up on its shaky, gangly legs and Dean bit back a smile. It reminded him of when Sammy was still a teenager and growing into his limbs.

Sam led him to a tiny two-story cottage. It looked just as it had in the movie. He pushed the door open and it creaked. Damn, didn’t they have oil back then?

“Hello?” Dean called out. He didn’t expect anyone to be home, but it was always safer to check anyway. He didn’t know what tricks Gabriel was planning to play on him. He sighed again. “Alright, I guess I’m supposed to clean the place?”

Sam nodded and he could’ve sworn he saw a smirk on the fawn’s face before he trotted back out the door.

“Hey! Aren’t I supposed to have some animal buddies to help me out here?” He called after him. “Damned place,” He grumbled under his breath when no one answered.

Dean worked for hours. He scrubbed dishes and floors, dusted mantles and shelves, washed clothes, and made beds. The entire time he had a mantra of  _ Dammit Gabriel, friggin’ tricksters! _ going through his head. Eventually, he finished and passed out in one of the miniature-sized beds.

* * *

 

Dean was rudely woken up by shouting downstairs. 

_ I guess the dwarfs are home, _ he thought. 

He made no move to get up. Dean was perfectly content waiting out the rest of the movie right where he was. 

“Let’s kill it before it wakes up!”

Dean’s eyes snapped open.

“Which end do we kill?”

Dean sat up, ending the scene early. A bird glared at him from the window, but he ignored it.

Looking around, Dean came to an alarming realization. The dwarfs were all people he knew. Doc seemed to be Bobby, Happy looked like Charlie, Sleepy was Ellen while Sneezy was Jo, Bashful was Benny, Dopey was Crowley ( _ thank… whoever we thank now _ , Dean thought. _ I won’t have to hear  _ him _ at least _ ), and Grumpy was Rufus.

Dean sighed. This would be a long movie. Dean went through the obnoxious dialogue and the sneaky bird in the window stopped glaring. He could not wait to get out of here. 

And if Gabriel thought he was going to  _ sing _ ? Well, he would be rather disappointed.

* * *

 

Dean sighed. Those stupid dwarfs were finally gone. Sure, they all  _ looked _ liked people he knew, but they still acted like those stupid-ass Disney characters. At least he managed to get out of singing to them by telling them to fuck off.  

Dean smiled. And now, he finally got to relax and make some pie. The smile morphed into a frown. How was he supposed to make pie if there was no oven? 

“All alone, my pet?” 

_ Gabriel. _

Dean groaned. He forgot about this part of the movie. No wonder there was no oven, he didn’t actually get to make a pie.

“Ready to get kissed by a prince?” Gabriel asked with a smirk. Thankfully, he hadn’t actually made himself look like the hag from the movie.

“Where’s Cas, Gabriel? And why are we here?” Dean asked, giving up on the pie.

Gabriel’s smirk widened. “Talking about kissing princes makes you think about my baby bro, Dean-o?”

Dean fought down a blush and glared at the other man. “Gabriel,” he growled.

“Look, I’ll let you out easy on this one. Just bite into this apple here,” he said while pulling a single red apple from a basket of green ones, “and this’ll all be over.”

Dean narrowed his eyes. “Who’s kissing me?”

Gabriel rolled his eyes. “Bite the apple or stay here forever, those are your options. Plus, shouldn’t you have already figured it out?”

Dean frowned. “Figured what out?”

Gabriel refused to answer, fixing him with an unimpressed look.

“Fine I’ll eat the damn apple.” Dean grumbled as he snatched it from Gabriel’s hand.

Gabriel threw him a wink right as his world went black.

* * *

 

Dean opened his eyes to Castiel leaning over him, a dark red blush across his cheeks.

“Cas,” he asked, “what the hell are you doing?”

Cas hesitated. “Gabriel told me it was the only way…”

Dean felt himself go red as well. Castiel stood off to the side, looking confused and slightly hurt while Dean screamed at the sky that he was  _ abso-fucking-lutely not in love with Cas! _

“Dean,” Cas tried to cut in. “It was just-”

Before either of them could protest, the scenery changed as they were transported from one film to another.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed the chapter! Leave a kudos to let me know you liked it, or a comment would be even better. Thanks for reading! You can find me at [sociallyawkward--fics](sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com). I take drabble prompts! If decide not to visit me, I will see you all next week!


	3. So This is Love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Another chapter is up for your enjoyment. I hope you like it!!

Castiel opened his eyes to a pair of birds trying to wake him up. He scowled at them.

“Gabriel?” He called out, and one of the birds landed on his chest.

“Yes, baby bro?” The bird smirked, and Castiel was certain that a bird should not have been able to make that expression.

“Why am I here? Where is Dean? What are you trying to accomplish with these childish games?”

“Slow down, Casserole. Dean’s fine.” The bird got a twinkle in its eyes. “And as for why you’re here? Well, I was bored, and you and Dean are  _ very _ entertaining.”

Castiel bit back a sigh and an eye roll. It would be exactly what Gabriel was looking for – a reaction.

“Anyway! This time you’re in  _ Cinderella _ !” The bird hopped up closer to his face. “And  _ you’re  _ the princess, since Dean seemed a bit put-out that he was the last time.”

Castiel was about to ask what these strange films were and why Gabriel chose them, when he was whisked out of bed by a group of mice and birds. He got ready to the tune of a strange song about dreams, and was ready to find Dean and  _ get out of there _ because he had an extremely bad feeling about what was going to happen, when a mouse began talking to him. Now, Castiel was not an expert on the human world, but he was almost certain that mice were not meant to speak.

Apparently he had to dress a mouse now. He wasn’t sure if Gabriel was pranking him or if this was actually part of the movie.

He went through the character’s chores – feeding the animals, cleaning up after them, cleaning the house – until bells started ringing in the kitchen.

“CASTIEL!!” Two voices yelled, and then continued to shout.

“I’m coming!” Castiel shouted back.

“Castiel!”

Castiel took a breath. Why did the main character, the “princess,” continue to do what these people wanted? They clearly did not appreciate her, why did she not simply leave? He did not understand this film’s plot.

He walked up the stairs, bringing breakfast to the people calling out his name. In return, they did not thank him, but instead threw clothing at him. They told him to “iron” it and “mend” it, and  _ quickly _ , as if he knew how to do those things.

He continued to tend to his duties until he was accused of placing a mouse in his sibling’s teacup. He vehemently denied it but the woman, his stepmother – who looked suspiciously like a female Metatron – gave him even more chores to do.

“Now let me see,” she said. “There’s the large carpet in the main hall. Clean it! And the windows, upstairs and down. Wash them! Oh yes, and the tapestries and the draperies-“

“But I just finished-“ He tried to argue.

The woman glared at him, her nostrils flaring. “Do them again! And don’t forget the garden. Scrub the terrace, sweep the halls and stairs, clean the chimneys! And of course, there’s the mending and the sewing and the laundry.”

Castiel thought she would rattle off chores for him to do forever, but she finally stopped. He let out a small breath of relief, but sucked it back in almost angrily when she turned back around.

“Oh, yes, one more thing. See that the cat gets his bath.”

This time the breath left Castiel in an angry huff.

* * *

 

Castiel was scrubbing the floors when he heard a screeching from upstairs. He winced and almost went to check to see what it was when he began to hear words in the strange shrieks.

“ _ Sing sweet nightingale… _ ”

Castiel took a breath. “Gabriel, I would appreciate if you let me and Dean out now.” He muttered, careful not to be heard by the character’s family. His only response was the cat - Lucifer, what a fitting name for the fluffy devil - tracking mud all over the floor he just cleaned. He was almost thankful when someone knocked on the door.

Castiel opened the door to find none other than Gabriel, the very trickster who got him into this mess in the first place.

“Hey, Cassie, how you doing?” Gabriel said with a grin, his golden eyes glinting with laughter.

“Gabriel, remove us from this reality.” Castiel growled.

“Sorry, baby bro, no can do. I have a bet going and I don’t plan to lose.”

“Gabri-“

“Now, here. Take this pretty little invitation for the ball up to Mommy Dearest and get back to your chores. Finish them and you might get to see Dean again.” Gabriel handed him a piece of paper bordered with gold and winked at him. Then, he was gone.

Castiel took the paper up to the music room, where the awful screeching was still emanating from. He argued that he, too, should be allowed to go to the ball. If Dean was here somewhere with him, then he must be going to the ball, as well. They could reunite and Castiel could try and get them out of Gabriel’s game.

The woman had an evil glint to her eye, but said “Well, I see no reason why you can’t go.  _ If _ you get all your work done.”

“I will,” Castiel said, trying his hardest to be patient with these fictional heiresses. 

“ _ And _ find something suitable to wear.”

“I will, thank you.”

Castiel walked out of the room and heard the women begin bickering behind him. He sighed. He was growing tired of being treated like a slave.

He climbed the seemingly endless stairs to the attic and went searching through his – no, the character’s – chests to find something suitable to wear to a formal ball. Eventually he found something, but before he could work on fixing it to be presentable at a ball, they started calling him.

“Castiel!”

Castiel grumbled and started marching down the stairs, wondering why he hadn’t just left to find Dean yet. If Dean even wanted to speak to him, that was. He seemed rather angry after realizing that Castiel had kissed him, but Gabriel had told him it was the only way to wake him up.

_ “Gabriel, what did you do to him?” _

_ “Oh, don’t worry, baby bro! He’s fine! Just in an eternal sleep is all!” _

_ “ _ Gabriel _!” _

_ “Oh, fine. Ruin all the fun. Alright, if you kiss him he’ll wake up. Go ahead, Cassie, plant one on him.” _

Another shout of “CASTIEL!!” brought him out of his thoughts. He couldn’t wait to get out of this movie. Maybe he could just avoid Dean after they got free.

* * *

 

The stepsisters managed to keep Castiel busy until right before they needed to leave for the ball, which he didn’t find very surprising. What he did find surprising was that the mice had fixed up the suit he found. He had rushed down the stairs ready to go, and the women’s faces fell when then saw him. Then, the stepsisters’ eyes had widened with rage, and he knew he was not going to that ball.

They tore at his suit until it was in tatters, claiming that this or that piece was theirs and how  _ dare _ he take it.

“Girls, girls,” The Metatron-shaped old woman said. “That’s quite enough. Hurry along now, both of you. I won’t have you upsetting yourselves.” She turned to Castiel with murder in her eyes as the sisters walked to the carriage. “Good night.” She said to him, and shut the door with a smirk.

Castiel was  _ angry _ . With the way they treated this poor character, it’s a wonder she stuck around this long! He flew out the back door, needing some air. After pacing for a few moments, he collapsed on a concrete bench. 

How was he supposed to find Dean now? What if Dean was hurt? Or sick? What if Dean had been captured and was being tortured right now? What if – What if Dean didn’t want to see him? He seemed so upset after Castiel had kissed him. His reaction had hurt, and Castiel couldn’t even figure out why. Why did this kiss matter so much to him?

He put his head in his hands and took a few breaths. A comforting hand laid itself on his back. Castiel didn’t need to look up to know who it was.

“Gabriel.” He muttered.

“Hey, Cas. How you doing, baby bro?”

Castiel sighed and raised his head, mouth opened slightly to answer Gabriel. He froze in place when he saw the dress. If you could call it that, it was really more of a robe.

Gabriel grinned when he saw Castiel’s dumbfounded expression, his golden eyes dancing with humor. “You like it? I’m think about making this my new look.” He stood and spread his arms wide, spinning in place to show off the outfit.

Castiel almost laughed, but he was still too caught up in his previous thoughts. “Please, Gabriel, let Dean and me leave. You’ve had your fun.”

Gabriel’s smile fell. “Casanova, you don’t even know what I came here for! Don’t you want to go to the ball?”

“And how do you suppose I do that, Gabriel? My clothing is in shreds.”

Gabriel’s grin returned full-force. “Well, that’s what I’m here for! Don’t you know a fairy godmother when you see one?” He winked.

Things began morphing shape before his eyes. Mice became humanoids, a pumpkin became a carriage, and his rags began reshaping itself into a fancy, light blue suit. He looked up at Gabriel, his eyes wide.

“Normally, I would have made you sit through my whole song and dance – literally – but you seem a bit eager to see Dean,” he winked and Castiel blushed with a scowl, “so I’ll let you off the hook for now. Tell your boy toy hi for me, Cassie!”

Gabriel began to shove to him into the pumpkin carriage – which for some reason, instead of being orange, it was the light blue of his suit – but stopped, as if he realized something.

“One more thing, baby bro. The magic wears off at midnight. Make sure to leave by then. Don’t wanna get caught by the she-devils, now do we?” He gave a wink, shoved Castiel into the carriage the rest of the way, and was gone. The carriage was off. 

Castiel took a deep breath and settled in for the ride, hoping Dean wasn’t too upset with him.

* * *

 

When Dean first opened his eyes, he was disoriented. He was mid-bow, and he appeared to be greeting a weasel-looking man.

“My Prince?” Weasel-Man said. “Is everything alright, Sire?”

Knowing Gabriel would have his hide if he didn’t play along, Dean gave the man his most charming smile. “Yes, sir, my apologies. I was momentarily distracted.”

Weasel-Man gave him a secretive smile. “I understand, my Prince. All these lovely ladies, it’s a wonder anyone is able to keep your attention for more than a moment.”

Dean smiled stiffly and nodded again, wishing he was anywhere else. He was not cordial, he didn’t like parties unless there were copious amounts of alcohol involved, so what was he doing? Oh, right.  _ Gabriel _ .

Dean tried to look around as he greeted person after person, but he couldn’t figure out what movie he was in. There were no clues. He was just glad he was the prince this time. Being the princess had been kind of humiliating.

He finally figured it out when the two girls that are next in line start pushing and shoving each other to meet him first. They almost looked like… Lisa and Cassie? Dean pushed that thought away before it could form. He bowed to them reluctantly and stood up again. When he did, he spotted something.

Cas stood at the top of a staircase, his eyes scanning the crowd. He was all bed head and blue eyes, and Dean forgot for a moment that he was supposed to be pretending he wasn’t crushing on his best friend because his face lit up with a smile. He raced up the steps, the smile still in place.

“Cas!” He said in relief when he finally makes it to his friend. 

Cas seemed to immediately relax, his shoulders losing much of their stiffness. “Dean.” He let out a breath. “Where have you been?”

Dean furrowed his brow. “I just woke up, Cas. Where have  _ you _ been?”

“Cleaning a mansion.” Cas says bitterly, and Dean gets it.

“Shit, are we in  _ Cinderella _ ?” 

“Yes, that is what Gabriel called it. Dean, I would like to apologize for my actions regarding the last movie we-“

“Don’t worry about it, Cas,” Dean said. He already knew what Cas was going to apologize for, and he wasn’t ready to think about it. He didn’t want to think about how he wished he had been awake to feel Cas’s lips on his, because he shouldn’t even  _ want _ Cas’s lips on his. “Don’t worry about it.” He repeated, and smiled a little to reassure the other man.

Weasel-Man walked by them and said, “Hmm, I wonder if the prince is going to dance with the beautiful stranger.”

“Gabriel.” Dean growled and moved to go after him, but instead ended up sweeping Cas into his arms.

There was a dusting of pink across Cas’s cheeks, and, based on the heat he could feel in his cheeks, Dean’s betting he didn’t look much different.

“I didn’t do that,” Dean felt obligated to say, and Cas met his eyes.

“I’m aware. Gabriel has a tendency to make people do what he wants.” Cas responded and Dean felt a little stupid.

Without Dean’s permission, his legs lead them out onto the dancefloor.

“Dean, I have never danced before.” Cas said, and Dean realized that Cas was actually nervous.

Dean cleared his throat to hide his embarrassment and said, “Don’t worry, Cas. I got you.”

They danced for a long time, long after a curtain closed behind them so they were in private, until Dean finally stopped them.

He cleared his throat again. “Let’s go for a walk.” He said and led Cas to the gardens. 

And if at some point he started humming “So This is Love” under his breath, that was his business.

* * *

 

The clock began striking twelve, and Cas stood up.

“Dean, I have to go.” He said.

“Don’t, Cas, wait!” He said quickly, and then tried to cover it up. “I mean, don’t give Gabriel what he wants. You know, stay here, ruin his fun.”

“I can’t, Dean.” He said. “You know that. He’ll just make me run like he made us dance.”

“Okay.” Dean tried not to show how upset he was. “See you later, Cas.”

Cas took off running and Dean gave him a few seconds head start before running after him like the story demanded. Dean watched Cas stumble on the steps due to a shoe that seemed to be conveniently untied, before Cas just kicked the shoe off and kept running.

Dean picked up the shoe and sat on the steps with a sigh. This was going to be one long night.

* * *

 

Castiel managed to make it to the woodland area outside the castle before everything fell apart. The next thing he knew, he was surrounded by mice and pumpkin innards and his clothes were once again in tatters. The only thing that remained was his shoe. 

Castiel sighed and began the trek back to the mansion.

* * *

 

The next day was hectic. His stepfamily in this reality was eagerly preparing for the arrival of the prince. Apparently, his lost shoe had been found on the steps of the palace and the king was going to have everyone in his kingdom try it on.

Castiel found it rather unrealistic that every person in the kingdom would have to try on the shoe, especially since Dean should know what he looked like - and wouldn’t there be multiple people with that one shoe size? - but apparently these “Disney” stories weren’t meant to be realistic. Humans were such strange creatures.

Castiel retreated into his attic of a bedroom to make himself presentable to the royalty, as he knew that was what humans were expected to do. What he had not expected was to see his stepmother in the mirror right before he heard the click of a lock.

He turned and rushed to his door, trying to turn the knob. It wouldn’t budge. How was Dean supposed to know he was up here? Would he ever find Dean again? Would Dean move on without him while Gabriel left him here to rot?

Castiel pounded on the door. “Let me out! You can’t keep in here!”

There was no response and Castiel rested his back on the door and slid down to sit on the floor.

Eventually, he could hear his “sisters” trying on the shoe – it was a men’s shoe, why would a woman wear it with a ball gown? – and closed his eyes.

He didn’t even know why it hurt so much. This was meant to be part of a movie, and Gabriel said something in  _ Snow White _ about this being children’s movies, so why was he worried? Children’s movies were bound to have a happy ending. Plus, Dean has seen the movie. Dean would find him up here and get him out, right?

Then the mice brought him the key. He was afraid to ask how they did it – mostly because they were  _ talking mice _ – but he thanked them, unlocked the door, and went rushing down the stairs. He caught up just as the royal party was about to leave.

“Wait!” He called. “It’s my shoe!”

The stepmother tried to interrupt, “Pay no attention to him, he’s just an imaginative child.”

The man with the shoe – who Castiel now recognized as Sam – said “My orders were  _ every _ person available in the kingdom.” Sam had a triumphant look in his eyes, as if he’d been waiting to make the stepmother angry - which he probably had.

There was a shattering sound and Castiel turned to see a squire on the ground, next to the shattered remains of the shoe. He hadn’t even realized it was glass. If Gabriel had told him, he would’ve been much more careful. Everyone but Sam seemed shocked at the shards.

“If it helps,” Castiel started, “I have the other shoe.”

The last thing Castiel saw was Sam’s bright grin, and Dean’s look of frustration as he burst through the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed that chapter! Leave a kudos or comment letting me know what you thought of it; and, as always, constructive criticism is welcomed! You can find me on tumblr at [sociallyawkward--fics](sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com). Send in a prompt, ask a question, or just come by and chat! See you all next week!


	4. Once Upon a Dream

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! After having the plague all week I am here to bring you more pining idiots. I hope you all enjoy! Also, then next chapter is the one I'm proudest of so I hope you're all looking forward to it.

Dean found himself in a child’s body when he reoriented himself. The second he saw the little fairies hovering over a crib, he wanted to groan. He held himself back, though. At least it wasn’t  _ him _ in the crib. Plus,  _ Sleeping Beauty _ couldn’t be too bad, right? He got to fight a dragon, after all.

Only when the door blew open to reveal Lucifer wearing Maleficent’s horns and robes did Dean start to pay attention. John and Mary Winchester pushed their son behind them. Dean huffed.

“Well, quite a glittering assemblage, King Chuck.”

Dean watched on, unable to do anything as Cas - or what he assumed was Cas as a baby - was cursed by Lucifer. When the blue fairy mentioned True Love’s Kiss, he blushed. He was going to have to kiss Cas. He cursed Gabriel under his breath.

* * *

 

Castiel awoke in another upstairs room and his blood went cold. He  _ really _ hoped this wasn’t  _ Cinderella _ again. He couldn’t stand cleaning the house again.

“Pssst!”

Castiel turned his head to the window.

“Hey Cassiopeia! How’s it hanging?” The bird, Gabriel, asked.

Castiel didn’t respond and instead asked, “Why are you always a bird?”

Bird-Gabriel rolled his eyes. Castiel was startled to realize he was getting used to animals emoting like this.

“Look, you’re the princess again. Just play along. This time it should be easy for you, no cleaning houses!”

“Gabriel -”

“Whoops! Gotta go, Cassie! Meet ya downstairs!” The bird threw him a wink and flew off.

_ Downstairs? _ Castiel thought.  _ Why someone let a wild bird in a house? _

Castiel did go downstairs, despite his apprehension. Gabriel was not a bird. He was short and plump and wearing all green. Castiel found this to be very strange. Anna was also there, dressed in pink, and Hannah there in blue.

“What is going on?” He asked them.

Anna began stuttering until Hannah jumped in.

“We want you to pick some berries!”

Castiel cocked his head. “Berries?”

“Lots of berries.” Gabe said as he threw Castiel a wink.

“Now,” Anna said as the three pushed him toward the door, “hurry back!”

“And don’t go too far!” Added Hannah.

“And don’t speak to strangers!” Anna said.

They all three said goodbye and promptly shut the door in Castiel’s face.

“That was strange.” He muttered.

He figured he might as well do as they asked, though, and so he went off on his way to find wherever he was supposed to pick berries. 

_ What kind of berries do they even want? _ He thought.

* * *

 

Dean had figured out rather quickly that the horse he found himself on was Sam. It was a bit awkward, riding his brother, but they got over it quickly. I mean, Sam  _ had _ been the Impala once. This wasn’t  _ too _ different.

Dean heard humming and immediately perked up at the sound. He knew it was Cas, Sam had watched the movie enough as a kid for him to remember the storyline.

“C’mon, Sam.” Dean tried to get Sam to go in the direction of the voice, but Sam fought back. Apparently, he wasn’t too happy with the current situation either.

“ _ Sam _ .” Dean growled out, before letting out a sigh. “Please?” He asked.

Sam immediately perked up, and started trotting toward the humming. Everything was going smoothly until Dean got caught on a branch and was pulled out of the saddle. He promptly found his ass in a river.

“Dammit, Sam!”

Sam’s damn horesy face looked too smug for his liking, so he splashed some water on his brother out of spite.

Dean hung up his wet cloak and hat on a branch a little ways from the river and sat in on the ground with his head in his hands. He was sick and tired of living through these damn 

movies. How far was Gabriel going to take this joke? When Dean got his hands on him…

Sam whinnied and he looked up. Some little woodland creatures were stealing his clothes now. Awesome. He got up and chased after them.

“Fucking stop!” He called after them.

Dean stopped when he heard Cas laughing with birds tweeting the tune to that stupid Disney song in the background. He stopped Sam from barreling into the scene and ducked behind a tree. Cas was dancing with the stupid animals that stole his clothes. For some reason that didn’t sit right with him. 

The owl winked at him while Cas wasn’t looking.

_ Fucking Gabriel. _

When Cas twirled away from the animals momentarily, Dean snuck up from behind and shoved them away. He could feel the smug look Sam was sending him on the back of his neck, but he didn’t care.

Cas twirled back around and gasped. “Dean!” He broke out in a grin.

Dean couldn’t help but smile back. “Heya, Cas.”

Cas gasped in surprise again when Dean swept him back into the waltz. Dean’s brow furrowed. He didn’t do that. He turned to glare at the owl, but it just winked at him again.

“Once again,” Dean said. “I did not do that.”

Cas shrugged. “Gabriel wants us to play along. He’ll make us if he has to.”

Dean didn’t know what to say from there, so he just continued dancing. It’s not like he had much choice either way.

After a few more minutes of dancing, the two were able to stop and lean against a tree. Gabriel the Owl landed behind them.

“Time to go, baby bro.” Gabriel said, then he hooted. “Look! I’m a poet and I didn’t even know it!”

Cas frowned. “Why do I have to go? I’m the princess, Dean’s the prince, we met and danced. The story should be over.”

Gabriel the Owl grinned, which was a little unsettling to say the least. “Oh, Casanova. You have so much to learn.”

Cas sighed. “Goodbye, Dean.”

Dean frowned. “Seeya, Cas.”

Dean watched as Cas swept up his basket and made his way in the direction Dean assumed Briar Rose’s cottage was in. Sam trotted up next to him.

“The hell are you looking at?” He grumbled at his brother.

Sam whinnied in offense.

* * *

 

Castiel walked into the cottage. He saw a nice suit and a freshly baked cake and was immediately confused.

“Surprise!” Anna, Hannah, and Gabe called out.

“Happy birthday!” Gabe added at the end with a smirk.

Anna narrowed her eyes at him. “You haven’t met a stranger, have you Castiel?”

Castiel furrowed his brow. “A stranger?” he asked, remembering her earlier warning about not speaking to strangers. He shook his head. “No, he wasn’t a stranger, he-”

“He’s in love!” Gabriel said.

Castiel, at this point, was very confused. There was absolutely no segway into any of these conversations. They were very abrupt, and there seemed to be no point to them.

“I-” He started.

“This is terrible,” Anna moaned, cutting him off.

Castiel frowned. “Why would it be terrible if I were in love?” He asked, forgetting to deny the claim.

“You’re already betrothed.” Gabriel said.

Castiel’s frown deepened. “Betrothed? To whom?”

“The prince, of course!”

Castiel suddenly couldn’t breathe. Was Dean not the prince? But he oh-so wanted Dean to be the prince, even if he wouldn’t admit it out loud.

“What?” he asked incredulously.

“Tonight,” Hannah started calmly, “we are taking you back to your father, King Chuck.”

* * *

 

The three of his, well, he supposed he would call them caretakers, led him into a palace. They placed a crown upon Castiel’s head as one last gift. Seeing his cloudy face, they left.

Suddenly, a feeling overtook him. It was a strong feeling. He needed to go somewhere  _ right now _ , but where? A light formed before him. He knew he  _ had _ to follow it. It would take him where he needed to go. The light floated toward the fireplace and he followed. The wall opened up to him and he walked through. His former caretakers burst into the room calling his name, but he paid them no mind. The wall resealed behind him.

He followed the light up a staircase up a tower. Yes, this was where he needed to be. But he needed to  _ do _ something.  _ What _ , though? His finger tingled.

Anna, Hannah, and Gabe were still calling after him. Why couldn’t they leave him alone? He had important business. If only he could figure out what that business  _ was _ .

The light floated to the middle of the single room at the top of the tower. It became a spinning wheel.

_ How strange _ , Castiel thought, walking towards it.

“Castiel don’t touch anything!” Someone called from down the staircase.

His finger tingled so much now it almost hurt. Perhaps the spinning wheel could help him with this problem.

He slowly reached out and pressed his finger to the point.

As Castiel’s world went dark he wondered why on earth he thought that was a good idea.

* * *

 

Dean sighed as he rode Sam toward the cottage. He couldn’t quite remember what happened next, only that at some point he has to kill a dragon and then he had to kiss Cas. He wished that bothered him in an “Ew, gross!” way and not a “But now everyone will know I secretly love him” way.

He knocked on the cottage door and heard a familiar voice say “Come in!” A shiver went down his spine, and he could feel Sam shift uncomfortably underneath him.  _ Lucifer _ .

He walked in and was immediately grabbed. He was tied up by demons, their black eyes glinting in the little light that shone through the windows. They tied a gag over his mouth. He tried shouting through it, but nothing happened.

Lucifer held up a candle to see his face better. “Well, this is a pleasant surprise! I set a trap for a peasant, and lo! I catch a prince!” He threw his head back and laughed. “Away with him. But gently, my pets, gently. I have plans for our royal guest!”

Dean rolled his eyes. Was it really necessary for Gabriel to keep having people he knew quote the movie when talking to him? It made the whole thing even cheesier.

He was taken to a dungeon where Lucifer and his minions celebrated his capture as he struggled in chains. They mocked him and laughed, and he growled into his gag.

When they finally left, three small figures flew up to him. Hannah, dressed in blue, Anna, dressed in a pink, and Gabriel, dressed in green. He supposed those must be the fairies that “raised” Cas.

“Shh!” Anna whispered. He wasn’t speaking anyway. He was kind of gagged. “No time to explain!”

The three of them freed him from his chains and he ripped off his gag. They unlocked the door for him as well. 

Before he was able to leave, Anna gave him a shield of virtue or whatever and some stupid sword of truth, telling him he would need to fight this battle alone.

_ Sure, whatever _ , Dean thought.  _ Now shut up so I can go fight a fucking dragon and kiss Cas. _

Lucifer’s raven warned the demons and Lucifer of his escape, and they attacked. They threw rocks and boulders down toward him. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry about dodging those when the fairies swooped in, transforming the rocks into harmless bubbles. So much for fighting this battle on his own.

Dean hopped on Sam and pushes him, trying to get away from Lucifer’s decrepit castle as quickly as possible. They barely make it over the drawbridge before it’s closed. Disney movies really like to build suspense.

Then, Lucifer made some fucking thorns sprout all around the castle. Dean grumbled under his breath as he sliced his way through, making the way wide enough for Sam to fit.

Suddenly, Lucifer appeared in front of Dean and Sam reared back.

“Now you shall deal with me, old prince, and all the powers of hell!”

_ Here’s the fucking dragon _ , Dean thought as Lucifer transformed into exactly that.

Dean tried to fight, but he knew he didn’t have much of a chance as he was. He got off Sam and let him run off. He would be back when he needed him. Eventually, Dean had to retreat.

The fairies called to him and led him up onto a cliff. He tried to fight from there, but he quickly lost his shield. Lucifer laughed.

Hannah, Gabriel, and Anna flew up, combining their magic onto his sword. Anna spoke a quick rhyme, and Dean took a deep breath.  _ Just like throwing knives _ , he though, and let the sword fly.

The sword struck Dragonified Lucifer right where Dean believed his heart to be. Dragonified Lucifer collapsed.

_ That’s going to be fun to clean up _ , Dean managed to think before he was ushered onto Sam’s back yet again. He and the fairies took off toward King Chuck’s castle. This all was taking less time than he thought it would.

They arrived, in what was in Dean’s opinion, way too quickly, but hey, it was a cartoon. He raced up the steps. Everyone in the castle that he passed was asleep.

Dean’s legs and lungs were burning by the time he made it to the room Cas was in. It felt like forever since he had seen him. Catching his breath, Dean slowly approached the bed. An intricately patterned blanket was draped over his lifeless form and a rose was laid under the hands that rested on his chest. 

He looked so peaceful... 

He looked dead.

That thought hit Dean like a stab to the heart. He rushed the rest of the way to the bed and grabbed Cas’s shoulder. He was  _ not _ allowed to die. Not again.

Dean took a deep breath and lowered his lips to Cas’s. He stayed like that for a few seconds, kissing the sleeping man softly, praying it would work. When he raised himself up again, Cas’s eyes fluttered open and Dean was lost in them.

“Dean-” Cas started.

A clapping sound from the other side of the bed startled them both. 

“ _ Great _ performance you two!” Gabriel said, back to his normal appearance. “Really believed you two were in love for a second there.” A smirk formed on his lips. “And you really went in for that kiss, Deano! I would’ve let you get away with a quick peck on the cheek like Cas had, but you dove straight in!”

Dean’s face burned, and Cas looked like he was blushing almost as badly.

“Gabriel,” they both growled.

Gabriel held up a finger and wagged it at them, “Ah, ah, ah! We still have more movies to go! You don’t think I’d let you get away with just three, did you?”

Dean and Castiel paled. 

Gabriel snapped his fingers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, please leave kudos or a comment telling me what you thought. It's funny, actually. During my last proofreading before posting (mostly just me skimming to make sure it's good) I came across this one line I'd forgotten I'd written. "Sam whinnied in offense." For some reason that was hilarious to me. Let me know if there were any lines that you liked, I love feedback! Also, come visit me on my tumblr at [sociallyawkward--fics](sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com). I take prompts, you can ask me a question, or we can just chat! See you all next week!


	5. Kiss the Gir- Oh... Uh... I Mean Guy?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again, everyone! Now, like I said last week, this is my favorite chapter I've written for this work. It's long, it has cheesy moments, relationship developments, the works. But there is still one more chapter left before the epilogue (and that's my second favorite), so sadly they aren't getting their crap together yet. Anyway, please enjoy the chapter!  
> Edited as of 9/3/16. None of the story was altered, just some mistakes fixed.

Castiel awakened to himself swimming through a hole - maybe it used to be a window? - on a sunken ship with a sack in his hands. He couldn’t feel his “angel mojo,” as Dean liked to call it, helping him breathe underwater. He didn’t understand. In fact, he felt completely human aside from the fact that he couldn’t separate his legs.

Castiel could not separate his legs.

He looked down and was incredibly alarmed to find a fish tail there instead of human legs. It was a shimmering blue, and when the light hit it, it shone like the sun. Well, if the sun were blue.

“Cas - I can’t - I mean - Cas, help!” A voice called from the same hole he just entered through.

Castiel turned around and there was a yellow and blue fish stuck in the space, unable to get out. He swam over and pulled the fish by the fins until it came free. They tumbled head over fin for a few seconds from the force of the pull.

The fish let out a breath - why was it breathing through it’s mouth? Did humans not understand the anatomy of a fish? - and said, “Thanks, Cas.” Castiel finally managed to place the voice as Anna.

They swam for a bit in mostly silence, Anna muttering about sharks every few seconds. Castiel didn’t understand. Surely if this fish could speak, the sharks and other sea creatures could speak as well? And if so, surely they could reason with the shark and tell it they had not meant to bother it?

“Castiel, look! You’d like that!” Anna cried, swimming over to what appeared to be a fork.

“Anna, I don’t think-” he tried to say.

“It looks weird. I bet Garth would know what it is!”

“Anna, it’s a fo-”

Anna turned away from him, hearing something he apparently didn’t. “What was that?”

A shark loomed up behind Anna and Castiel’s eyes went wide.

“Run!” She shrieked. Castiel had a passing thought about how they were fish and could not, in fact, _run_.

He quickly learned that, in this reality, sharks could _not_ speak.

* * *

 

Castiel let Anna lead the way, even if doing so meant he almost got his tail bitten off. He was growing quite fond of it. Anna led them closer to the shore, where they surfaced near a small rock. A seagull was perched on top, looking through a telescope. It appeared to be looking through the wrong end.

“Garth?” He asked, assuming this was who Anna thought could identify the fork. He still wasn’t sure why the fork needed to be identified.

“Whoah! Merman off the port bow! Cas, how you doin’ man?” Garth said, then lowered the telescope. He blinked in astonishment at their sudden proximity. “What a swim!” He laughed.

“I think I am supposed to show you what we have found?” Castiel asked him, squinting in the sunlight.

“Yeah,” Anna said. “We were in this sunken ship, it was kinda creepy.”

“Human stuff, huh,” Garth chuckled.

Castiel handed him the sack with the fork. It felt heavier than it had before, like there was more in it. That couldn’t be possible, it had been empty before he put the fork in.

Garth pulled out the fork. “Wow! Well would you look at this! Very strange, thing, this one. Very special.”

Castiel furrowed his brow. What was special about a fork?

“What is it?” Anna asked excitedly.

“It’s a _dinglehopper_!”

Castiel frowned. “A dinglehopper?” He asked.

“That’s right! A dinglehopper! Them humans use ‘em to straighten and comb out their hairs! See?” Garth the Seagull moved the fork to his head and twirled the feathers there into the fork. He then yanked upward and the fork came out, leaving his feathers a mess. Castiel was certain that was _not_ , in fact, how humans combed their hair. Perhaps Garth didn’t know that, though, as he _was_ a seagull after all.

“What about that one?” Anna asked.

Castiel looked down and there was, in fact, another item. No wonder the sack felt heavier. It seemed to be an old smoking pipe.

“I haven’t seen one of these in years!” Garth said. “This is wonderful! A banded, bulbous - snarfblat!”

Castiel, at this point, had come to the conclusion that Garth the seagull did not know anything about human items.

“Now this here snarfblat dates back to prehistorical times, when them humans used to just sit around and stare at each other all day. Got very boring.”

Castiel wasn’t sure what point of history Garth was referring to that he was not aware of (Humans sitting and staring at each other? What?), but he was certain it was not prehistoric.

  
“So, they invented this snarfblat to make fine music. Allow me.” Garth the Seagull lifted the pipe to his mouth - _How does he plan to blow into that using his beak?_ Thought Castiel - and blew into it. It made a horrid gurgling sound, and plant life came out of the end where smoke usually would.

Anna gasped. “Castiel! Wasn’t the concert today?”

Castiel furrowed his brow. “Concert?”

“You’re father is going to kill you!” Anna said, she turned to start swimming off. “C’mon, hurry up!”

“Why would my father kill me,” Castiel mumbled, “is he abusive?” Then, louder he said, “Thank you, Garth.” He might as well thank the seagull for his “help,” even if he was completely incorrect.

“Anytime, darling, anytime,” Castiel heard as he dove back beneath the waves.

* * *

 

Castiel stood (floated, really, but he still couldn’t get used to the underwater counterparts of the usual verbs he used) in front of Chuck. It appears he would play the father figure in all of this yet again. A red crab sat next to Chuck on the arm of the throne.

“I just don’t know what we’re going to do with you, young man,” Chuck said with a sigh.

“Chu - I mean, Father,” he winced slightly using that word to address Chuck, “I apologize that I forgot, I -”

“As a result of your careless and reckless behavior -”

“Careless and reckless behavior!” The crab chimed in, and Castiel immediately recognized the voice as Gabriel.

“- the celebration was, er -” Chuck looked down at Gabriel.

Gabriel shot Castiel a smirk before putting on a strict and angry facade. “Well, it was ruined! That’s all. Completely destroyed! This concert was to be the pinnacle of my distinguished career. Now, thanks to you, I am the laughing stock of the entire kingdom!”

Castiel winced. His brother actually sounded angry. He knew Gabriel was just pretending for the story, but he never liked to hear anyone sound that upset and humiliated.

“But it wasn’t his fault!” Anna cut in from next to him. “Uh, well, first, ahh, this shark chased us - yeah, yeah! And then we tried to, but we couldn’t, and - grrrr - and, and we - whooooaaa! Oh, and then we were safe. But then here was this seagull and he was like ‘this is this and that is that.’”

Castiel wasn’t sure why Anna was having trouble completing sentences. Perhaps she hit her head when they were running - swimming - from the shark? _That, however, raises the question_ , Castiel thought, _can a fish get a concussion? And does it have the same effects as a human’s?_

“Seagull?” Chuck asked. “You went up to the surface again, didn’t you?”

Castiel hesitated to answer. He didn’t know it was against the rules, but if it was…

“Didn’t you!?” Chuck asked louder, more threateningly. He had always been such a meek man, this was quite the unusual behavior. Castiel wondered if Gabriel altered his personality to fit this character.

Castiel didn’t know why what he did was so bad, but Chuck seemed to be getting dangerous. “Y-yes, but, nothing happened.”

“Oh Castiel, how many times must we go through this,” Chuck sighed. “You could’ve been seen by one of those barbarians, by - by one of those humans!”

Castiel furrowed his brow. What made humans so barbaric? “Ch - Father, they are not barbarians.”

“They’re dangerous! Do you think I want to see my youngest son snared by some fish-eater’s hook?” Chuck yelled. This was definitely not the meek Chuck Castiel had known.

“I’m not a child!”

“Don’t you take that tone of voice with me, young man! As long as you live under my ocean, you’ll obey my rules!”

Castiel was seriously debating swimming off to another ocean at this point. Sure, they were all connected, but they had different names. Surely Chuck did not rule them all, there must be other mermaid kingdoms than this one.

“If you would just _listen_ -”

“Not another word. And I am never - _never_ \- to hear of you going to the surface again. Is that clear?”

Castiel huffed out an angry breath. “Yes, sir.” He spat, and swam off.  Anna follow not far behind.

Castiel would go to the surface again, just to spite Chuck. He just wouldn’t let the other man hear about it. Castiel had never known Chuck to be an unreasonable man. Perhaps Gabriel _did_ alter Chuck’s personality. But why not just choose someone more fitting to the role?

Anna eventually made her way in front of Castiel and led them both to a cavern. It was filled with items made by humans. This must be where the princess - his character - kept her collection.

He swam around for a short while, looking at everything that had dropped in the ocean for this mermaid character to collect, before he was startled by a loud crash.

Apparently Gabriel had follow them and knocked over some of the items.

“Gabriel?”

Gabriel winked at him before speaking in an accent that Castiel was too angry to notice before, “Castiel, are you mad? How could you, what is all this?”

“I assume it is the collection of human items that the character you have put me in place of collected over the course of her life. Assuming I am the princess again, that is.”

“Oh, I see. You’re collection. Hmm.” Gabriel said calmly. Out of nowhere, he exploded with rage, “If you’re father knew about this - !”

“You’re not gonna tell him, are you?” Anna asked, seeming a bit nervous.

“I don’t believe it would be wise to tell Chuck,” Castiel added. “He would be rather upset by it.”

“Castiel, you’re under a lot of pressure down here. Come with me, I’ll take you home and get you something warm to drink.” Gabriel said.

As Castiel was busy pondering how he was meant to drink something when he was already underwater, a dark shadow passed overhead. Castiel looked up to see a ship passing by overhead. He scowled at Gabriel’s lecturing crab form before swimming upwards towards it. He had always been good at rebelling, might as well do it here as well.

He swam and and found a way to look through a window. He watched the humans dance and play music on the deck until a large, slobbery white dog appeared in his vision.

“Sam,” a familiar voice calls out. “C’mere, you’re my dog now, shouldn’t you listen to me?” Dean had his hands on his hips and his voice seemed stern, but Castiel could see that he was fighting a smile. His entire body relaxed at the sight of the hunter, knowing he was safe and healthy. Castiel found himself smiling at the sight of Dean continuing to tease Sam, even if he couldn’t hear what was being said.

“Hey there, darlin’,” Garth settled near Castiel, perching on the side of the ship and leaning over to see the party better. “Quite the show, huh?”

Not wanting to be noticed, Castiel hissed, “Garth, be quiet! They’ll hear you!”

“Ohhhh, I gotcha, I gotcha.” Garth was grinned. Castiel was done trying to figure out how animals could smile. “We’re being intrepidatious.” Castiel was certain that was not a word, and if it was, Garth was certainly not using it correctly. Garth startled Castiel when he suddenly shouted, “We’re out to discover!”

Without thinking, Castiel grabbed Garth’s beak and pulled him down. “Shh!” He hissed, before turning his attention back to Dean.

“Oh, that’s right. You’ve never seen one of them humans this close before, have you?” Garth squinted in the direction of Dean and Sam. “He’s a little slobbery and hairy isn’t he?”

“He is not! He is very handsome!” Castiel blurted, then flushed a deep red at what he just said. He could see Gabriel’s crab form smirking below in the water.

“Hey! Shut up!” A man shouted next to a large object covered by a sheet. Castiel realized it was Bobby and was shocked how different the man looked without his usual baseball cap. “It’s my honor and privilege to present Prince Dean with this stupidly expensive, stupidly large birthday present.”

“Aw, Bobby, you shouldn’t have!” Dean was laughing and slapping Bobby’s shoulder.

“I know,” Bobby grumbled, then let loose a small smile. “Happy birthday, Dean.”

The sheet was pulled off to reveal the object as a statue made in Dean’s likeness.

“Oh, wow, Bobby. It’s… Something.” Dean said, looking uncomfortable. Sam growled at the statue, apparently not liking it either.

“I commissioned it myself. I was hoping it’d be a wedding gift, but, well.” Bobby sent a glance in Dean’s direction.

Dean glared back at Bobby. “Don’t you start.”

Suddenly, someone shouted, “Hurricane a’coming! Stand fast! Secure the rigging!”

Castiel’s eyes widened with fear. Garth was knocked off the ship from the wind, and soon he fell back into the water himself.

* * *

 

Dean heard the hurricane warning and paled. How could he forget? He looked down at Sam’s new furry body.

“You gonna be alright?” He asked

Sam nodded. Well, as well as a dog could nod.

Suddenly, it felt like the ship crashed. Everyone was thrown overboard. Well, everyone but Sam.

“Sam!” Dean shouted.

He found a way back onto the ship and managed to save Sam, but found himself stuck next. The fires from what must’ve been overturned lanterns blocked every path. Suddenly, lightning struck the ship and it exploded, sending Dean flying through the air. He fell into the water with a huge splash and couldn’t make it to the surface for air before his world went black.

* * *

 

Castiel was trying to swim back toward the ship against the waves when he heard a shout.

“Dean!” He looked over and Bobby was calling out from a small wooden boat that held the rest of the crew and Sam. Dean was not among them. He looked over, following Bobby’s gaze, to see Dean hit the water with a splash. He did not come up again.

“Oh no,” whispered Castiel. He continued whispering it like a mantra as he dove under the surface, chasing Dean’s unconscious form as it sank. He grabbed Dean and held the man tight against his body as he swam towards the surface. He needed to get Dean back to the beach, even if he couldn’t help like this, surely there were doctors in the kingdom he ruled who could help. He swam as fast as he could

Pulling Dean up onto the beach was more effort than Castiel thought it would be, but as he gazed upon his friend’s prone body, fear struck him down to his very core.

He turned to Garth and asked in a small voice, “Is - is he dead?”

Garth made his way to Dean’s face and pulled one of his eyes open. “It’s hard to say,” Garth mumbled. Next Garth walked down to his feet and put one of them up to the side of his head. A heartbroken expression took over the seagull’s face. “Oh… I - I can’t make out a heartbeat.”

“That’s not where -” Castiel started, but was distracted by movement next to him. Dean was breathing. “He’s breathing!”

Castiel wasn’t aware of the small “He’s beautiful” that he breathed out, but it didn’t go unnoticed by Gabriel and the crab smirked.

When he heard Sam and Bobby approaching, Castiel quickly headed back into the ocean without thinking. When he was swimming toward the underwater kingdom a thought occurred to him. _Why didn’t I just stay with Dean? The story could have been over._ Castiel could not find an explanation for his actions.

* * *

 

After a morning of strange glances from his “sisters” and “father,” Castiel found himself lazing around on a rock, occupying himself by picking the petals off flowers.

“Castiel,” Gabriel said, startling him. He hadn’t noticed the crab come over.

“Gabriel,” he responded. Then he lit up. “I’ll just go see Dean tonight! Then this story can be over! I bet Garth would know where he lived...”

“Castiel, please, will you get your head out of the clouds and back in the water where it belongs?” Gabriel’s voice was stern, but the smirk on his face was unmistakeable. He was up to something.

Castiel, however, did not have time to pay attention to that. “If i swim up to the castle and splash around, surely he will hear me…”

“Down _here_ is your home! Castiel, listen to me; the human world, it’s a mess!”

Castiel almost snorted. You couldn’t deny him there.

“Life under the sea is better than anything they got up there!”

Gabriel’s smirk widened and Castiel was instantly on guard. Out of nowhere, Gabriel started randomly singing.

“ _The seaweed is always greener, in somebody else’s lake._ ”

Castiel immediately took the opportunity to swim away while Gabriel was distracted. Anna followed up behind him. He hadn’t even realized she was there.

“Castiel, come on, I have something to show you!” Anna said, and took the lead.

She led him to the cave he had been in the other day with all the human items and they swam inside.

“Anna, just tell me what’s going on.”

“I can’t! It’s a surprise!” Anna was giggling as she led him in.

Inside the cave was the statue of Dean that was lost when the ship sank. It looked just like him, and Castiel couldn’t help but smile. “Anna this is amazing.”

He swam around the statue for a few moments, until he caught a glimpse of someone moving out of the corner of his eye. He looked over and it was Chuck.

“Ch-Father!” He exclaimed. The man - merman? - looked angrier than Castiel had ever seen him. He didn’t know such a timid man could seem so threatening.

“I consider myself a reasonable merman,” Chuck started. “I set certain rules, and I expect those rules to be obeyed.”

“But-”

“Is it true you saved a human from drowning?”

“I _had_ to!”

“Contact between the human world and the mer-world is strictly forbidden! Castiel, you know that! Everyone knows that!” Chuck was shouting now.

“He would have _died_!” Castiel matched his volume.

“One less human to worry about!”

“You don’t even _know_ him! How can you say that?”

“Know him? I don’t have to know him! They’re all the same; spineless, savage, harpooning fish-eaters incapable of any feeling!”

“He is my friend!” Castiel was livid. How could he let this man insult Dean like that? Dean was his friend. Dean was his everything. “I love him!” Castiel shouted. All the fight drained out of him at once when he realized what he said. He hadn’t meant for that to come out.

“Have you lost your mind? He’s a human, you’re a merman!

“I don’t care.” He said, his face hardening again.

“So help me Castiel, I will get through to you. And if this is the only way, so be it!”

Chuck pointed his trident around the room, smashing objects all around. No matter how many times Castiel screamed “ _Stop!_ ” the other man did not yield. He destroyed the statue last and tears stung Castiel’s eyes without permission. How could one even have tears underwater, anyway? After that, Chuck left.

Gabriel had the decency to look at least somewhat remorseful as he approached Castiel.

“Castiel, I…”

Castiel looked away. “Just go, Gabriel. I’m sick of your games. I’m sick of your stories.”

Gabriel scuttled off without a backward glance.

After a few minutes of Castiel trying to calm himself, two eels slithered their way up to him.

“Poor child.” One said. It sounded like Abaddon.

“Poor, sweet child.” The other said. This one sounded like Rowena.

“He has a very serious problem.”

“If only there was something we could do.”

“But there is something.”

Castiel growled. “What do you want?” He asked.

“Don’t be scared,” Rowena continued.

“We represent someone who can help you,” Abaddon added.

“Someone who could make all your dreams come true.”

“Just imagine,” they said together.

“You and your prince,” Rowena smiled.

“Together forever,” they hissed in his ears.

Castiel furrowed his brow. “Who can do this for me?”

“Lucifer has great powers,” Rowena purred.

“Lucifer? I would never trust Lucifer!”

“Suit yourself.” Abaddon said, starting to swim away.

“It was only a suggestion.” Rowena followed Abaddon, but flicked the broken head of the statue so that it landed at Castiel’s tailfins.

He stared at the head for a few moments. He didn’t know what came over him, but before he knew it he was saying, “Wait.” He didn’t feel like himself. This wasn’t him saying this. He didn’t trust them, so why was he telling them to wait? Why was he considering their offer?

“Yesssss~?” The eels hissed out together.

He looked up at Rowena and Abaddon. “Take me to Lucifer.”

The eels had matching smirks on their faces as they led the way out of the cave, Castiel following close behind. He could hear Anna and Gabriel talking outside the opening, but he didn’t care what. He needed to see Lucifer.

He was aware of having an exchange with Gabriel, but he wasn’t aware of what was being said. Something had come over him. He didn’t know if it was so that the story would proceed as planned or if the character he was playing felt this disoriented at this point in the story, but he wasn’t able to think straight. He knew he shouldn’t be going to see Lucifer, he _knew_ that, but something was telling him he needed to. Something in the back of his mind telling him this was okay, this was _right_ , that Lucifer was going to help him. He felt almost as dazed as he did when he went to prick his finger on a spinning wheel before.

The eels led Castiel to a cave shaped like a fish. Small, shrivelled creatures resided on the floor. The way some moved when he swam by made it seem like they were reaching out for help. Others simply cowered away from his presence. One stretched out and wrapped itself around his wrist. He startled and began yanking his wrist as the other creatures stretched out toward him as well.

He had finally gotten his wrist back when a voice startled him again.

“Come in, come in, my child. We mustn’t lurk in doorways, it’s rude! One might question your upbringing.”

Castiel cautiously swam forward into the room. Lucifer was not a mermaid like he would have expected. Instead, his brother had the bottom half of an octopus. For some reason, Castiel found this very off-putting.

“Now, then,” Lucifer continued. “You’re here because you’ve got a, ah, _thing_ for this human, this prince fellow, yes? Not that I blame you, of course, he is quite a catch isn’t he?”

Lucifer began cackling and Castiel tried to work through his haze to figured out what was so funny. The fog was still settled around his mind. Whatever Lucifer offered him, he knew he’d say yes. He needed to wake up. He could feel the danger of the situation prickling on his skin.

“Well, Angel Fish,” Castiel almost laughed at this nickname, “the solution to your problem is simple.” Lucifer turned away from the vanity where he sat and looked at Castiel with a feral grin. “The only way to get what you want, is to become human yourself.”

Castiel squinted. “Can you do that?”

“My dear, sweet child! That’s what I do! That’s what I live for! To help unfortunate merfolk like yourself. Poor souls with no one else to turn to.”

Lucifer brought up a demonstration. The way the people looked - muted colors, slightly see through - reminded Castiel of the holograms in the science-fiction movies Dean enjoyed watching. One was a thin, sad looking merman. The other was a heavier mermaid. For a few moments, they just stood there as Lucifer spoke - he was saying something about mending his ways? Castiel was still having trouble focusing - in a strangely rhythmic pattern, like he was speaking lyrics to a song.

Lucifer mentioned magic, and it brought Castiel’s muddled mind back to what he was saying. “I use it on behalf of the miserable, lonely and depressed!”

“Doubt that,” Castiel muttered to himself.

“Poor unfortunate souls, in pain, in need!” Lucifer finally gestured to the holograms. “This one longing to be thinner, this one wants to get the girl, and do I help them? Yes, indeed.”

Lucifer smirked and the male was wisped up in smoke before coming out with a broader chest and a confident smile. The same smoke enveloped the female and she came out thinner than Castiel thought was healthy.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, where his thought’s were still coherent, Castiel found the display disgusting. These people should not be changing themselves for each other. They should find someone who will love them as they are, and they should love themselves too.

“Now it’s happened once or twice,” Lucifer continued the rhythmic speaking. “Someone couldn’t pay the price, and I’m afraid I had to rake them across the coals.”

The two holographic merfolk startled from the embrace they were in and, with a swirl of magic around them both, they turned into the shrivelled creatures he saw when entering Lucifer’s abode. Castiel stopped listening in horror as he watched.

“Now here’s the deal,” Lucifer’s voice brought him back once again. The octopus-man settled on the floor in front of him with a smirk on his face. “I will make you a potion that will turn you into a human for three days, got that? Three days.”

Castiel nodded dumbly.

Lucifer’s smirk grew. “Now listen, this part’s important: before the sun sets on the third day, you’ve got to get dear ‘ol princey to fall in love with you. That is, he’s got to kiss you.”

Castiel furrowed his brows in confusion. “What does kissing have to do with love? You can kiss someone and not be in love, or you can be in love and not kiss someone.”

Lucifer glared at him and he immediately shut his mouth. “He has to kiss you.” He said again, then continued with his spiel. “Not just any kiss, though. Oh, no no no. The kiss of true love. If he does kiss you before the sun sets on the third day, you’ll remain human. Permanently.”

Castiel was about to nod like he understood, but Lucifer suddenly moved closer so that they were nose to nose.

“But!” Lucifer said so loudly that Castiel started. “If he doesn’t, you turn back into a mermaid.” He backed off again and grinned evilly. “And, you belong to me.”

Castiel furrowed his brow. He still knew this was still a story in the back of his mind, and not his story either, but the part of his mind that was controlling everything else seemed to have temporarily forgotten.

“If I become human,” he said, “I’ll never be with my family or friends down here again.”

Lucifer pouted at him. “That’s right.” The pout morphed into a feral grin. “But, you’ll have your man.” The octo-man sighed. “Life’s full of tough choices, isn’t it?”

Castiel began to look down, but his gaze shot to Lucifer as he suddenly swam above him.

“Oh, and there is one more thing. We haven’t discussed the subject of payment. You can’t get something for nothing, you know.”

“I don’t have any-”

“I’m not asking much,” Lucifer interrupted, and the coherent part of castiel’s mind did not take kindly to being cut off. “A token, really, a trifle! You’ll never even miss it. What I want from you is -”

Lucifer got in Castiel’s face again and grinned. “- your voice.”

“My voice?” Castiel asked, bewildered. What good was his voice as payment?

“That’s right sweetcheeks. No more talking, singing, zip.”

Castiel scowled. “How am I to communicate without my voice?”

“You’ll have your looks! You’re pretty face! And don’t underestimate the importance of body language!” Lucifer laughed as he undulated his hips.

Castiel wrinkled his nose in distaste.

Lucifer began speaking rhythmically again. It was grating on Castiel’s nerves. “The men up there don’t like a lot of blabber, they think a girl who gossips is a bore!”

Castiel was about to protest that he was not, in fact, a woman, when he realized the message behind what Lucifer was saying. If much of what people were saying in these stories was true, then this was a terrible message to give young children. Castiel was offended they put this in a children’s movie.

“Yes, on land it’s much preferred for ladies not to say a word, and after all, dear, what is idle prattle for?”

Castiel most definitely had a problem with the message Lucifer was spreading.

“She who holds her tongue gets her man!”

Castiel was very close to saying something to Lucifer, or calling out to Gabriel to tell him how outrageous this was. Women didn’t deserve this treatment! But then Lucifer looked at him again and the fog settled back around his thoughts.

“Go ahead, make your choice!”

Castiel nodded dazedly. He needed to pick, of course. There was still a choice to be made.

Lucifer was busy throwing bottles of… something into his cauldron.

“Go ahead and sign the scroll!

A scroll appeared out of thin air, no doubt from Lucifer’s magic, along with a pen. If Castiel was thinking clearly, he would have wondered how the pen was meant to work underwater. Was it magic as well? And what about the paper, how was it not turning to mush? However, as Castiel was not thinking clearly, he did not wonder any of these things. He simply grabbed the pen and signed his name neatly on the marked line.

Lucifer laughed and began to chant his spell:

“ _Paluga, sarruga, come winds of the Caspian Sea._

_Now rings us glossitis and max laryngitis,_

_La voce to me!_ ”

He looked to Castiel and said, “Now, sing!”

Castiel was confused as to why he had to _sing_ \- why couldn’t he just speak? - but nevertheless, the opened his mouth and let out a few wordless notes. Smoky hands emerged from the cauldron and reached out towards him. He almost stopped singing, but -

“Keep singing!” Lucifer yelled, and so he continued.

A smoky hand thrust into his mouth and reached down his throat. His eyes widened in horror, but somehow he wasn’t choking. The hand came out holding something glowing a golden color. It continued singing in his voice, but he could no longer make noise himself. He knew it was over.

The hand retracted and put his voice into a golden seashell that had been hanging around Lucifer’s neck.

A bubble came out from the cauldron and enveloped Castiel. He felt his tail split in two. His end fins morphed shape and turned into feet and toes. His legs formed the rest of the way, all signs that he had previously owned a tail gone.

The bubble popped and left him gasping for air, which there was none. He felt two new presences hoist him up under his arms and begin pulling him to the surface. For the time being he didn’t care who they were, he was just grateful they were there. He needed air _now_.

The presences pull him up to the surface and onto shore, leaving him behind some rocks to preserve his dignity at least slightly from passersby.

Garth flew over when he saw Castiel and landed on the rocks. Castiel wouldn’t have noticed him - he was so busy staring wide eyed at his legs - if he hadn’t started speaking.

“Well look at what the catfish dragged in!” Garth shouted with glee.

Castiel rolled his eyes at Garth’s volume.

“Look at you! There’s somethin’ different…”

Castiel opened his mouth to make some snarky comment - a bad habit learned from Dean - when he realized he truly did have no voice. He was completely mute. He sat frozen with his mouth open for a few seconds.

“No, don’t tell me! I got it! It’s your hair, right? You’ve been using the dinglehopper!”

Castiel grimaced and shook his head. He wasn’t too keep on the idea of putting a fork in his hair.

“No? No… Huh, let me see…” Garth flew over and landed on Castiel’s bent knee.

“He’s got legs, you idiot!” Gabriel shouted, and Castiel jumped.

He looked over. Gabriel and Anna were on shore with him. They must have been the ones to pull him from the water.

“He traded his voice to a sea witch and got legs. Jeez, man…”

“I knew that!” Garth said indignantly.

“Castiel’s been turned into a human,” Anna elaborated. “He’s gotta make the prince fall in love with him and he’s gotta kiss him.”

Castiel tried to stand, but he was no longer used to walking on two legs. He had become accustomed to swimming everywhere. His legs were weak, wobbly, like a newborn foal’s. He was aware of Gabriel ranting and whining, but he paid the crustacean no mind. He only paid attention was Gabriel started walking back toward the water.

He reached out and grabbed his brother, bringing him to his face and glaring with everything he had. He smiled when Gabriel relented. Then he frowned again when Gabriel gave him a teasing look when mentioning “his prince.”

Garth stood tell once again, eager to have the attention back on him. “Now, Castiel, I’m tellin’ you: if you wanna be human, the first thing you gotta do is dress like one.” He grinned. “Now, let me see…”

* * *

 

Dean had spent the day playing with Sam on the beach. Sure, it was a bit strange that his mammoth of a brother was suddenly a giant, slobbery dog, but the boys took it in stride like they did everything else.

Something was bothering Dean, though. The other day Cas saved him. He remembered just barely opening his eyes, just started to come back into consciousness, and the first thing he saw were those brilliant blue eyes. He wanted to reach out, to tell Cas to stay and ignore Gabriel’s little game. Then, Bobby and Sam showed up and Castiel was scared away. He didn’t even know why Cas left, he couldn’t have known Ariel was supposed to leave at that point in the story.

Dean sighed. The idiot had probably already sold his voice by now and there was nothing he could do about it.

Sam barked and brought Dean out of his thoughts. His brother went bounding down the beach to a group of rocks.

 _Here we go_ , Dean thought, and went running after him.

Castiel was hiding behind some rocks, his face a bit pink with embarrassment. The thought that he looked adorable when he blushed briefly flitted through his mind before he snatched the daydream and carefully filed it in his brain under _Things You Should Not Think About Your Best Friend_.

“Hey, C-” He broke off in a cough. Dean frowned. “Ca-” He fell off into another coughing fit. He sighed. “Well, buddy, looks like I can’t say your name until I ‘guess’ it later on.”

Castiel simply furrowed his brow and opened his mouth to speak, only to look frustrated when no sound came out.

“Hey, I know man.” Dean tried to soothe him. “They took your voice. It’s okay.”

It was small, but Dean saw Cas’s shoulders relax a bit at his understanding tone. He frowned again. He can’t imagine what Cas had been through down there, having to face whoever played Triton and Ursula in this fantasy Gabriel had conjured up.

“Come on out here, I’ll take you to get cleaned up.”

The pink returned to Cas’s cheeks and Dean did not let himself think about how cute that was. Right now he had to help his friend get back on his feet (ha ha, feet. Dean snickered to himself). Castiel carefully used the rocks as support as we walked out from behind him, wearing a big sheet tied on him with rope just as Dean expected. Cas’s legs were also shaking, and he fell forward once he let go of the rock, obviously unable to walk by himself.

“Whoa, man, be careful. Can’t have you breaking an ankle in here.”

Cas glared at him, now tomato red instead of sunset pink. Dean laughed at him.

“Come on, let’s get you home.”

Dean tried to not think of the implications of that sentence as he swung Cas’s arm over his shoulder and helped the other man walk down the beach.

* * *

 

Dean waited patiently for Cas to come back, but he was really getting sick of Bobby’s rambling to “find a prince or princess already.”

After they had gotten back to the castle, Cas was whisked away by the staff to get cleaned up. He tried to follow and help, not wanting to be separated from Cas for too long (not that he’d admit that), but he was shooed away to get himself ready for dinner. He just rolled his eyes at them.

Now Dean sat at the table where he was soon to have dinner with Bobby and Castiel. A voice by the doorway caught his attention.

“Come on, honey, don’t be shy!” Ellen was saying through the doorway, trying to coax someone into stepping through it.

Castiel then stepped out, dressed wonderfully. Dean had been worried that Gabriel would take the joke too far and put Cas in that pink dress, but he smiled in relief when he saw Cas in the pink dress shirt, white tie, and slacks.

Bobby elbowed Dean and smirked at him. Dean glared.

Ellen was looking on expectantly, her hand on Cas’s tense shoulder.

“You - you look, uh, great.” Dean stuttered out, going a bit pink. He felt underdressed now in his flowy white shirt and boots.

Cas smiled at him, all teeth and wrinkled nose. The lines around his eyes went deeper. Damn, Cas was beautiful when he smiled. Especially when he smiled at _him_.

Dean quickly shoved that thought away.

Cas sat down, and the three sat in awkward silence for a moment, Ellen standing off to the side. Cas looked to Dean for help. Dean pointed to the fork, the subtly pointed to his hair.

Cas scowled and Dean thought it was absolutely hilarious how much the man did not want a fork in his hair, even if it was clean. He watched as Cas closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then picked up the fork and combed it through his dark locks. Dean forced his smile down to prevent further embarrassment to his friend.

Cas stopped, blushing, when he noticed the other two people in the room looking at him strangely. Dean gave him a small nod when he looked his way, and Cas’s face lost some of it’s tightness.

When Bobby pulled out a pipe, Dean gave it a pointed look and then looked to Cas. Cas, in turn, looked at the pipe, and gave Dean a look. Dean nodded.

When did it become so easy for the two of them to communicated with such small glances? The thought worried Dean, he hadn’t even noticed they knew each other that well. He couldn’t even do this with Sam as well as he could with Cas, and that thought scared him. As much as they fought, he thought his brother knew him best. Perhaps he was wrong.

Dean watched as Cas awkwardly tried to show his interest in the pipe and completely forgot the turmoil in his thoughts. The man’s presence alone was enough to put him at ease.

When Bobby handed the pipe to Cas, he once again looked to Dean for instruction. Dean thought it was endearing how Cas looked when he wasn’t sure how to handle a situation. His eyes got wide and there seemed to be a constant pink on his cheeks. Dean puffed out his cheeks for a second, trying to let Cas know he was supposed to blow into the pipe.

Cas seemed to get the message, because his eyes got a glint to them and he put his mouth on the pipe and blew. Ash and smoke flew out into Bobby’s face. Cas looked apologetic. Dean busted up in laughter.

His stomach hurt from laughing and he couldn’t stop, he couldn’t remember the last time he laughed this hard. He didn’t gain control of himself until Bobby fixed a glare on him. He cleared his throat.

“So sorry, Bobby.” He gave the man an innocent smile. Bobby just turned away, grumbling under his breath.

“Why Dean, I do believe that’s the first time I’ve seen you smile in weeks!” Ellen said, and he rolled his eyes. The people Gabriel had standing in for characters never seemed truly like themselves. They seemed stiff, lacking their usual speech patterns a lot of the time. Gabriel’s doppelgangers could use some work.

“Ha ha, very funny,” Bobby grumbled after he had wiped off his face. “Ellen, what’re we havin’ for dinner?”

“You’re gonna love it,” Ellen said with a grin, turning to Cas. “Chef’s making his specialty, stuffed crab.”

Cas looked momentarily troubled, before seeming to shake off whatever thought he’d had. Dean briefly wondered who Sebastian was.

“Dean,” Bobby drew both Cas and Dean out of their thoughts.

On their way to Bobby, Dean and Cas’s eyes met and neither could look away. Dean could feel his heart beating faster in his chest. His eyes flickered to Cas’s lips before moving back up to his eyes again. Dean wondered if Cas remembered him kissing him back when they were still in _Sleeping Beauty_. He didn’t know if he hoped he did or didn’t.

Caught up in Cas, Dean didn’t hear the rest of what Bobby said and flushed a little when he asked the older man to repeat. Their food was placed before them under silver domes. Dean never did know what those were called.

Bobby grunted. “You need to quit your moping. You need to get out, do something, have a life.” Bobby lifted his domed lid while looking at Dean

Dean rolled his eyes, then gave Cas a strange look as the man slammed his silver lid down with wide eyes. He smirked a little. Whoever Sebastian was, they must have just scuttled onto that plate.

“Whaddya say,” Dean said to Cas with a grin. “Wanna come out on the town with me tomorrow?” Cas nodded enthusiastically and Dean grinned even bigger.

He tried not to laugh when Bobby noticed the crab missing from his plate.

Dinner passed without incident. Bobby was given another crab, Dean subtly sent flirty glances at Cas across the table to make him blush, and the whole not-being-able-to-talk think never really was an issue. With their ability to communicate with just a glance, there were no awkward moments because Cas couldn’t speak. He was already missed the man’s voice, though.

After dinner, Dean took Sam outside to play. It was still a little weird, but as long as he didn’t mention how weird it was, Sam was fine. They stayed out until it was dark out.

At one point, Dean looked up to see Cas watching him through the window. He grinned, blushing a little, and waved. Cas waved back, but Dean couldn’t see his face because of the light coming from behind him. After that, Cas retreated inside and his light went out soon after.

Dean went to bed himself not long after, exhausted from living through Gabriel’s fabricated worlds. He couldn’t sleep for a while after, though, excited about getting to spend the entire next day with Cas.

Right before he fell asleep, he decided it was time he stopped lying to himself. Dean took a deep breath and, though he would probably never admit it to anyone else, he would admit it to himself in this very moment.

Dean Winchester was in love with Castiel.

* * *

 

The next day, Dean took Cas out to town on a carriage ride. The day passed in a blur. There was dancing, eating, laughing. Dean couldn’t remember the last time he just relaxed and had fun like this. He almost forgot he was supposed to be angry that he was there.

To end the day, Dean took Cas out on a boat ride, the sun setting in the distance and darkness settling over them. Dean was about to ask Cas how he’d enjoyed the day, when a sound like a dying bird rang out across the lagoon.

“What the hell was that?” Dean asked, looking around and trying to find the source of the noise.

Cas simply looked less than impressed, glaring off in some direction behind Dean.

Then, what Dean had feared through all the movies happened. Music started playing. Then, he heard singing and he instantly knew who Sebastian was.

“ _There you see him, sitting there across the way. He don’t got a lot to say, but there’s something about him._ ”

“Gabriel,” Dean bit out.

Cas looked simultaneously confused and exasperated.

“ _And you don’t know why, but you’re dying to try, you wanna kiss the boy._ ”

Dean turned to Cas. “You’re hearing this too, right?”

Cas just gave a nod. He was blushing again.

“ _Yes, you want him. Look at him, you know you do. Possible he wants you too, there is one way to ask him. It don't take a word, not a single word, go on and kiss the boy._ ”

Now Dean was blushing as well. “Shut up, Gabriel!” He shouted.

“ _Sha la la la la la, my oh my. Look like the boy too shy, ain’t gonna kiss the boy._ ”

“I am not shy!” Dean shouted back indignantly.

“ _Sha la la la la la, ain’t it sad? Ain’t it a shame, too bad. He gonna miss the boy._ ”

Cas was shooting glares all around the boat, his face tomato red. Dean refused to think it was cute. He would not be manipulated by Gabriel.

“At least here’s the part where I get to guess your name,” Dean told him.

Cas still looked tense, but focused on Dean instead of the music coming from the water.

Wanting to lighten the mood a bit, Dean smirked before saying, “So, is it Mildred?”

Cas scowled at him and he howled with laughter.

“Kidding,” he placated with a soft smile. “Castiel.”

Cas smiled back at him.

“ _Now’s your moment, floating in a blue lagoon. Boy you better do it soon, no time will be better._ ”

If Dean was completely honest with himself - which he wasn’t, but if he was - he did want to kiss Cas. And based on the way Cas’s eyes kept flicking down to his lips, Cas might want to kiss him too.

“ _He don’t say a word, and he won’t say a word until you kiss the boy._ ”

That was another factor. Cas would be taken by whoever Ursula was if he didn’t manage to get a kiss in somewhere. If he wasn’t able to fool the story into cutting itself short, they would be in here a lot longer than he wanted to. It already felt like they’d been in this movie the longest.

“ _Sha la la la la la, don’t be scared! You got the mood prepared, go on and kiss the boy! Sha la la la la la, don’t stop now! Don’t try to hide it how, you wanna kiss the boy._ ”

Dean’s palms were sweating. He was actually nervous. This was the first time they were both awake during a kiss. Sure, he had been nervous when kissing Cas awake, but the other man shouldn’t even remember that kiss. Dean didn’t remember when Cas kissed _him_ in _Snow White_.

“ _Sha la la la la la, float along and listen to the song. The song say, kiss the boy. Sha la la la la, the music play. Do what the music say! You got to kiss the boy!_ ”

Dean was running out of time. He didn’t have time to be nervous. He shifted closer and Cas’s eyes widened, the blush that had faded to pink flaring up again. They both seemed to be blushing a lot lately.

“ _You’ve got to kiss the boy!_ ”

He made eye contact with Cas. Dean took a deep breath as the other man nodded.

“ _You wanna kiss the boy!_ ”

He did want to kiss Cas. And the other man gave him consent. That was a huge relief after two kisses that weren’t necessarily consensual. He just needed to lean in a bit farther…

“ _You’ve gotta kiss the boy._ ”

They were centimeters apart now, sharing the same air.

“ _Go on and kiss the boy!_ ”

Their noses barely brushed…

**_SPLASH!!_ **

Before either man realized what happened, they were in the water, the boat overturned next to them. Cas came up sputtering and coughing.

“Shoot, c’mere. I gotcha,” Dean swam over and supported Cas as they made their way towards shore. “I forgot that happened in the movie. You alright?”

Cas nodded, but was still coughing a little and breathing heavily.

And Dean completely forgot about the kiss.

Dean got them back the the castle and made sure the servants took good care of Cas. He changed into some dry clothes and wandered around the castle a bit.

The last thing he remembered is seeing a figure in the distance and hearing Cas’s voice. Then a warm, gentle fog settled around his mind and he let it take him.

* * *

 

Castiel was woken from his sleep by Garth shouting at him.

“Castiel, Castiel! Wake up! I just heard the news! Congratulations, man, we did it!”

Castiel furrowed his brow. What news? What did they do?

“What’s this guy blabbing on about now?” Gabriel yawned from the pillow next to him.

“As if you didn’t know!” Garth said with a gleeful chuckle. “The whole town’s been buzzing about it! The prince is getting married this afternoon! Just wanted to wish you luck! I’ll catch you later, wouldn’t miss your wedding for the world!”

Castiel’s eyes went wide, and he rushed down the stairs to see Dean. When did he propose? Castiel didn’t notice him doing it, and he certainly didn’t notice himself saying yes. But, if it would get them out of here before he turned into one of those _things_ …

Castiel reached the bottom of the stairs and quickly rushed off to where he could hear Dean and Bobby’s voices. He stopped short at what he saw.

There was another man on Dean’s arm. He couldn’t tell who it was, but seeing them like that made Castiel’s blood boil. He was sure Dean would push him off any minute, though. Any minute now…

“We wish to be married as soon as soon as possible,” Dean said to Bobby.

The man on Dean’s arm nodded enthusiastically.

“Ye-yes of course, Dean,” Bobby said. “But, these things do take time-”

“This afternoon, Bobby. The wedding ship departs at sunset.” Something was off in Dean’s voice. It was too flat, too unexpressive.

“Whatever you say, Dean.” Bobby sighed.

Castiel didn’t want to watch anymore. He ran up the stairs to his room and locked the door. He threw himself on his bed and shoved his face into his pillow. He didn’t respond when Gabriel tried to comfort him.

He thought he and Dean had made progress last night. He thought maybe they had broken through a barrier and they were ready to admit their feelings, if Dean even had any for Castiel at all. He couldn’t help but wonder if last night meant anything to the other man at all. Clearly the almost-kiss had meant something, Dean had been blushing the whole time. Then again, he could’ve been blushing because he was disgusted by the whole affair.

“Snap out of it, little brother,” Gabriel said softly. “This’ll all work out in the end. C’mon, let’s go chase after him.”

Castiel allowed his crustacean of a brother lead him outside and to the dock. The sun was setting. Castiel had no idea how it had already gotten so late. The ship had left only minutes before, judging by how far away it was.

Castiel sighed and was about to go back up to his room when he heard Garth shouting.

“Castiel! Castiel!”

Castiel gave the bird a questioning look as he dove toward them. Anna popped her head out from under the water to listen as well.

“I was flyin’- well, of course I was flyin’ - and, and I saw in the mirror! And he was talking with your ‘ol pipes there! Do you hear what I’m telling you?”

Castiel tilted his head in confusion. This bird never made any sense to him.

“THE PRINCE IS MARRYING LUCIFER IN DISGUISE!” Garth shouted.

Castiel went completely wide-eyed. Lucifer was trying to make it so their deal didn’t go through, so he would become one of those creatures. His blood boiled.

“What are we gonna do?” Anna cried out.

Castiel looked to the horizon. The sun hadn’t dipped below it completely yet. He still had time.

Castiel dove into the water, but couldn’t get very far swimming on his own. He’d have to ask Dean to teach him once this was all over. He struggled in the water for a few moments before Gabriel pushed some barrels in. The had ropes around them.

“Castiel, grab the barrel. Anna, get him to that boat as fast as your fins can carry you.”

“I’ll try,” Anna replied. She began dragging Castiel through the water. They were gaining on the boat.

Castiel could hear the wedding going on above.

“-to be your lawfully wedded husband, as long as you both shall live?” He heard the priest say.

They reached the ship and Castiel quickly started climbing onto it. He managed to make it to the deck.

“I do,” Dean said in his monotone voice. No wonder it had sounded off earlier, Lucifer must have been controlling him.

Then, Garth and a horde of birds swooped in, interrupting the wedding. Castiel grinned and made his way farther onto the ship, trying to get to Dean before it was too late.

Garth ripped the seashell necklace from Lucifer’s neck and smashed it to the ground. Castiel voice escaped and immediately made it’s way down his throat.

Castiel watched as Dean blinked a few times, disoriented, before meeting his eyes. Dean’s face broke out in a grin.

“Cas,” he breathed out.

Castiel smiled back, though his was smaller. “Hello, Dean,” he replied.

Dean made his way over to him quickly. “Hurry,” he said, “before it’s too late.”

Castiel nodded.

Once again, their noses brushed and they were millimeters away from kissing, when the sun dipped completely below the horizon. Castiel fell to the ground, the legs that were previously supporting him now a tail that flopped uselessly against the deck.

“Dammit!” Dean shouted, and tried to grab Castiel.

Lucifer got there first, in all his tentacle-y glory.

“You’re too late,” Lucifer laughed gleefully. “So long, loverboy!”

Lucifer dragged Castiel overboard with him, Castiel struggling the whole way down. He could hear Dean shouting after him from the ship.

 _Aren’t children’s movies supposed to have happy endings?_ Castiel thought as he was dragged below the waves.

He was dimly aware of Chuck showing up, of he and Lucifer most likely bargaining for his life, but he didn’t listen. He was focused on how he could try and change the ending to this story. Where was Gabriel when you needed him?

He was brought back to the conversation when Chuck shrank into one of the shrivelled creatures from before. He was prepared to shout at Lucifer, to fight him until Chuck was released, but he saw a harpoon flying and quickly moved out of the way. He shielded his face with his hands out of habit, though he knew it wouldn’t do much. He heard Lucifer shout in pain. Dean had good aim.

He turned his head in time to see Lucifer raising Chuck’s trident to blast Dean.

“Dean look out!” He shouted.

Lucifer sent a glance to Abaddon and Rowena, who had appeared at his side to assist. The eels swam after Dean.

“Say goodbye to your sweetheart.” Lucifer said with a malicious grin. He prepared to attack with the trident, but at the last moment Castiel lunged and threw his aim off. He hit Rowena and Abaddon with the trident’s blast instead. Castiel didn’t bother to watch what happened to them.

Castiel swam up and pulled Dean to the surface with him. Dean gasped for breath when they got above the waves.

“Dean you need to get out of here,” Castiel said.

“No, I know how this plays out,” Dean responded, and it reassured Castiel slightly. If Dean wasn’t worried, he had no need to be either. Dean knew how this story turned out.

All of a sudden, they were raised from the water, a large golden spike separating them. They both sat on something gold as well.

“What is-” Castiel started, but then he looked down. His eyes widened in horror.

They were atop Lucifer’s head, sitting on the crown that used to be Chuck’s. Castiel watched as Lucifer created shipwreck after shipwreck, not even able to speak from how horrible it looked.

“This is a children’s movie?” Castiel shouted to Dean.

Dean gave him an exasperated nod.

Eventually, the two were thrown by a particularly quick turn of Lucifer’s head. Castiel landed at the bottom of a whirlpool Lucifer had created. He didn’t manage to see where Dean landed

“Dean,” he shouted. “Dean!!”

Lucifer turned to him with a feral grin that looked grotesque due to his massive size. “So much for true love,” he laughed wickedly as he raised Chuck’s trident.

Castiel squeezed his eyes shut, prepared for the worst. Then he hears wood cracking and splintering, along with Lucifer’s cries of agony. He couldn’t help but look up to see what had happened.

Dean had steered a ship straight into Lucifer’s abdomen. Castiel winced at the sight. It was truly awful.

Lightning crashed and thunder roared as Lucifer died in what looked to be a very painful way. Castiel could no longer see Dean, which worried him greatly, but before he could think much on in he was enveloped by the sea. Everything seemed to have gone back to normal. Castiel didn’t care. He just hoped Dean was safe.

* * *

 

Dean sat on the beach with a dejected sigh. The movie never really said how long after the battle Triton turned Ariel back into a human, so he had waited there on the sand all day for the past two days. Even Sam was beginning to get concerned, you could see it in his dopey little dog eyes.

He laid back with another sigh, letting the sound of the waves and the warmth of the sun on his skin lull him to sleep. A small nap wouldn’t hurt, he’d barely slept the last few days, not wanting to miss Cas if he showed up.

He hated to admit it, but whatever Gabriel was trying to do was obviously working. He and Cas would definitely have some romantic tension to work through when they got out of here. Assuming this was the last story he put them through, of course. He almost hoped it wasn’t. If he and Castiel went back to their normal lives, Dean was afraid he wouldn’t be able to tell Cas his true feelings. He would chicken out without the story elements forcing the confession out of him.

The sound of splashing water brought Dean out of his doze. He opened his eyes to Cas standing above him, a small smile on the man’s face. Dean grinned back.

Cas held out a hand to help him up and Dean took it. It brought them chest to chest when Dean got up, and he didn’t hesitate to wrap Cas up in his arms.

“I’m glad you’re okay,” he whispered without meaning to. It was worth the blush, though, because Cas pulled back and beamed at him.

“I’m glad you’re okay too,” he said.

They stood like that for a few moments, the moment broken by Cas shooting a quick glance down to his lips.

At once, they leaned closer.

“Dean,” Cas breathed.

Their noses brushed again. It was becoming a familiar feeling.

“Dean, I -”

Castiel was cut off by them being whisked to the next world.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoyed it! Also, let me know if there were any mistakes. I didn't give it one last run through before posting this time because I didn't know if I'd have time. Anyway, if you liked it please leave a kudos or a comment telling me what you think! I will post updates and you can send me prompts, ask questions, or just chat with me at [sociallyawkward--fics](sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com). See you all next week!


	6. Tale as Old as Time

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter before the epilogue! Thank you to all the lovely people leaving comments as well. I forget to say it, but your comments make my life. I hope you enjoy the chapter, everyone!

One minute, Dean and Castiel were about to kiss, Cas trying to tell him something in the process. The next, Dean found himself walking through a town, the townspeople bustling around to get their morning chores done. Many were saying “ _ Bonjour _ ” to each other as they passed.

“Good morning, Dean!” He heard from beside him. He turned to see Jo through a window, taking some bread out of an old fashioned oven. 

Dean walked over, “Mornin’, Jo.”

“Where are you off to?”

Dean stuttered for a moment, trying to work out what movie he was in. A small town, he was holding a book, a baker was talking to him… Beauty and the Beast? “Um, I was going to, um, the - the bookshop! I have to return a book I borrowed.”

Jo didn’t seem to be paying attention. “That’s nice.” She turned to shout behind her. “Ash! The baguettes, hurry up!”

A wagon was going by and Dean hopped on the back of it, not eager to be walking through the entire town to find whatever bookshop Belle gets her books from. Then the thought hit him.

“I’m the damned princess, aren’t I?” Dean grumbled under his breath.

He hopped off the wagon when he saw the sign above the bookshop, still grumbling under his breath. He went inside.

“Ah, Dean,” exclaimed the bookshop owner. Of course, who else could it be but Garth.

“Hey. Here’s the book I borrowed.”

“Finished already?” He laughed.

“Yup.” Dean said, then realized the story couldn’t progress unless he got another book. He bit back an exasperated sigh. He just wanted to get back to Cas so they could finish whatever moment they were having back there on the beach. “Anything new?” He grit out.

“Nope, not since yesterday.” This damned guy was always smiling, didn’t his cheeks start to hurt at some point? 

Dean chose a random book off the shelf. “I’ll just borrow this one.”

Garth laughed again. “But you’ve read that one twice already!”

Dean shrugged, not remembering or caring about Belle’s whole spiel on how much she liked the book and why.

“Well, why don’t you just keep it. If you like it so much, it’s yours.” Garth smiled even wider at him. Dean’s cheeks hurt just from looking at him.

He had the decency to get out, “You sure?”

“I insist!”

“Okay, thanks.”

He left the shop with a huff and his thoughts travelled from the idea of Cas’s lips on his to who Gaston might be. His eyes widened with horror and he sat himself down on the edge of a fountain to think more clearly.

What man - or woman, it’s perfectly plausible that his Gaston is a woman based on his failed relationships - would be his Gaston? All the people he’d dated didn’t really have the personality for it. The town went on bustling around him as he thought. A sheep even came up and tried to eat the book in his hands.

Dean gave up on trying to figure it out for himself and prepared himself for a nasty surprise and he got up and started walking again. He carefully weaved his way through the crowd, trying not to bump into anyone. He knew his “Gaston” wouldn’t be far behind, trying to catch up, and so he picked up the pace.

Eventually, someone caught up to him and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from walking.

“Hello, Dean.” They said.

Dean turned, prepared for the worst, and came face to face with none other than the archangel Michael. 

“Hello, Michael,” Dean said, trying not to sound to hostile in case he set him off, but making no effort to sound friendly.

Michael took the book from his grasp and Dean barely contained a growl. The sooner he got through this part of the story, the sooner he would be with Cas again. Maybe they could figure out a way to end the story sooner this time.  
Dean sighed. “Can I have my book back, Michael?”

“How can you read this? It’s got no pictures!”

Dean felt slightly relieved. It seemed like Michael was just a face, it seems Gabriel’s Gaston had the same personality as in the movie. Either that, or this was just one of those awkward moments with Gabriel’s filler characters where they didn’t seem like themselves. Dean hoped it was the former.

“You gotta use your imagination, man,” Dean responded.

“Dean, it’s about time you got your head out of those books.” 

Michael tossed the book into the mud.

Dean’s eye twitched. 

“It’s time you paid attention to more important things, like me! The whole town’s talking about it.”

“Fucking why do they care.” Dean grumbled under his breath.

“Hmm? What was that?” Michael asked.

“Nothing,” Dean said with a sugary voice and fake smile. He went and picked up the book from the mud and started trying to clean it off with his hands and shirt.

“Right, well it’s not right for you to read! Soon you’ll start getting ideas, and,” Michael grimaced, “thinking”

Dean curled his lip in disgust. If he remembered correctly, in the actual movie Gaston said this about all women in general. Now, Dean knew some pretty badass women, and if someone had said anything like this to them, they would’ve broken that person’s nose. Dean wasn’t sure why Belle never did the same. She had every right to, the guy was being a sexist jerk.

“Dumbass,” Dean muttered quiet enough so Michael wouldn’t hear. 

Said man came up behind Dean and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He leaned in and leered at Dean.

“Why don’t you and me take a walk over to the tavern and have a look at my hunting trophies, hmm?”

“Maybe another time,” Dean spat out.

He heard the whispers of the women (and he thought he heard a man’s voice as well) expressing their surprise and outrage that he turned Michael down. He didn’t bother sparing them a glance.

“If you’ll excuse me,” Dean managed to get out while sounding slightly polite, “I need to get home.”

He heard laughter nearby. It must’ve been whoever Lefou was. “What, and help your father? That crazy old loon needs all the help he can get!”

Dean growled. If it was his father, it was John Winchester, and as much as he had his problem with the man, he was family. And no one insulted his family.

“Who do you think you are, talking about my father that way?” Dean turned and was startled to see Adam there. He tried not to look too fazed.

“Yeah, Adam, don’t talk about his father that way!” Michael said sternly.

“My dad is  _ not _ crazy.”

As if the universe was trying to prove him wrong, an explosion sounded from the little country house he knew was meant to be his own. Michael and Adam busted up laughing. Dean growled and marched off, eager to rid himself of the pests in this story.

Dean arrived at the house and walked into the basement, where he knew his father would be.

“Everything alright in here?” Dean called out.

“How in the world did that happen,” a voice grumbled out. Dean followed it and found, his his surprise, not John, but Bobby.

Dean stifles a chuckle and Bobby removes a barrel from his person and asks, “You alright, there?”

“I’m about ready to give up on this piece of junk,” Bobby responded.

“Come on, now,” Dean was having too much fun with how frazzled Bobby looked. He never got so out of it in the real world.

“I mean it this time! I’ll never get this stupid thing to work.”

“‘Course you will,” Dean said with a grin. “And you’ll win first prize in every contest with it.”

“You believe that?” Bobby grunted, his eyes narrowing

Dean nodded.

“Well, let’s get to work then. Hand me that dog legged clencher there…”

Dean had no clue what that meant, but passed him a random tool anyway. It was apparently the right one, because Bobby started tinkering on his invention again.

“Did you have a good time in town today?” 

Another instance of Gabriel’s awkward copies. Bobby would never say something like that. It made Dean a little uncomfortable, but he could suffer through it. It would be over sooner if he did.

“Sure.” Dean replied, preoccupied with how to get Gabriel to stop his tricks. If he could figure out which person Gabriel was playing, he could threaten him into letting them all out…

“Are you feeling like there’s no one to talk to again? How about that Michael fellow? He’s handsome.” Dean cringed at the out of character way Bobby was speaking. He wanted this part of the story to be over already so he could stop dealing with this awkwardness.

“Are you trying to hook me up with Michael?” Dean asked, flabbergasted. “He’s rude, conceited, arrogant. If I had my way, I wouldn’t even have to be looking at him.”

_ Then again _ , Dean thought,  _ if I had my way, I won’t get to kiss Cas. Not that I’ve gotten to kiss Cas anyway. _ He grumbled even in his thoughts. He was grumpier about this whole situation that he thought.

“Well your wishes have come true, this invention is going to start a whole new life for us. Now, legs give it a try.”

Bobby motioned for Dean to hand him a few of the logs in the corner of the room. He passed them to the older man and he fed them to the machine. It chopped the logs effortlessly.

Dean grinned. “It works.”

“That it does. Hitch up that old horse for me, I’m off to the fair.”

Dean hitched the horse up to a cart so that it could drag Bobby’s invention after it. He sighed as he saw Bobby off.

Dean went back into the house and sat in a comfy looking arm chair. He picked up the book he’d gotten earlier from Garth and decided to read it. It wasn’t like he had anything else to do other than wallow in his self pity or wait for the next piece of the story to happen.

Dean shuddered. Next Gaston - or, uh Michael - would try to propose to him. Even just the thought disgusted him. He hoped he wouldn’t have to live through that, but apparently Gabriel enjoyed his suffering too much. 

There was a knock at the door.

Dean inwardly cringed and got up to answer it.

Michael stood there, as predicted.

“Michael what a… surprise.” He couldn’t even bring himself to say “pleasant” like Belle had. If he had his way, he wouldn’t have answered the door at all, but Dean knew by now that he had to play by Gabriel’s ruled if he wanted to see Cas again.

Michael leered at him. “I’m full of surprises. You know, Dean, there’s not a person in this town who doesn’t want to be in your shoes. Because, you see, this is the day your dreams come true.”

“Yeah? And what would you know about my dreams.” Dean snarked.

“Plenty.” Michael plopped himself down in the armchair Dean had been sitting in previously. He put his feet up on the table, right on top of Dean’s book, once again covering it in mud. “A rustic hunting lodge, my latest kill roasting on the fire, and my little husband massaging my feet,” at this Michael kicked off his boots and wiggled his toes, “while the little ones play with the dogs.”

Dean was disgusted with this man, and it definitely showed on his face.

“We’ll have six or seven.”

“Dogs?” Dean said hopefully. It wasn’t that he had anything against children - he might want some of his own in the future - he just didn’t like the way Michael was looking at him, as if he could actually provide those children himself. He didn’t exactly have the equipment to do that, and he didn’t want to either. It sounded painful.

Michael stood up and got up in his face. “No, Dean! Strapping boys, like me.”

Dean hummed in his throat, trying not to make the sound too disgusted. Dean picks up his book and brushes the dirt off it, before marking his page and carefully placing it on the shelf. It had been through enough abuse for one day.

“And do you know who that husband will be?” Michael asked, leering at him once again.

“Hopefully not me,” Dean mutters, knowing Michael won’t hear him over his own ego.

“You, Dean,” Michael said as he cornered him. Dean felt bile rising in his throat. He’d never been so disgusted by a person in his life. The man came in here and acted like he owned the place, like he owned  _ Dean _ . It wasn’t right.

“Wow,” Dean says, ducking his way around Michael’s cage of arms. “I’m speechless, really, I don’t know what to say.” Dean was shocked how clueless this man had to be not to pick up on the sarcasm in his voice, but he just kept coming. Dean’s body language screamed  _ stay back _ .

Michael trapped him again against the door and Dean scrabbled to find the doorknob.

“Say you’ll marry me,” Michael said, his face coming ever closer.

This was worse than when Michael tried to get him to say yes to being his vessel. This time he had no one to watch his back for him. He was on edge. His skin prickled from Michael’s proximity. Dean would go as far as to say he felt violated.

His fingers finally found the doorknob and he ducked under Michael’s arms as the man tumbled out the door. He fell head first into a mud puddle and Dean took some sick satisfaction in that. He wished the man had gotten hurt worse, but the blow to his ego and the stains on his suit would have to end up being revenge enough.

“Sorry, no,” Dean said, and slammed the door shut, locking it.

Dean waited a while before poking his head out to make sure Michael and the wedding party had left. He sighed in relief when he saw they were all gone.

Dean walked out and went to feed the animals, Bobby had told him not to forget so he knew he’d better not. After he was finished, he didn’t feel comfortable going back into the house. He was worried that Michael would show back up, not taking no for an answer. He walked off into an open field instead.

Dean sat in the field for what felt like hours, letting the wind tousle his hair. Eventually, he even laid down in the grass and dandelions and dozed off.

He awoke to the sound of hooves pounding against dirt. He looked up to find the horse he’d hitched up, but no Bobby.

“Dammit, you stupid old man,” Dean said. Dean hopped onto the horse and rubbed its neck. “Alright, take me to him.” He pushed his heels into the horse’s sides and it took off.

After some time of riding - and Dean would definitely be sore from that later - the castle loomed before him. He carefully walked up the steps and pushed the door open, wincing when it creaked.

“Hello?” Dean threw all caution to the wind and called out. The door creaked loudly, whoever was nearby already knew he was here. 

Dean furrowed his brow. He was getting too into the story, forgetting how he really got here. He knew what happened, he didn’t need to be cautious at all.

As he walked down a hallway, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. A door creaked open at the end of the walkway. 

“Hey!” Dean called out, but no one stepped forward. He grumbled and moved on, going up the stairs on the other side of the door.

“Dean,” a slightly weak Bobby called out. 

Dean rushed forward to help him.

“Dean, how did you find me?” Bobby asked him as Dean reached through the bars.

Dean ignored the question and grasped Bobby’s hand. “Damn, you’re freezing! Don’t they give you blankets ‘round here.”

“You need to leave, Dean. Now.”

“What? Why?”

“There isn’t time to explain, boy, you need to go!”

“I’m not leaving you here,” Dean grit out.

Why did Cas even lock Bobby up? He wouldn’t know he was supposed to. Besides, he thought Cas liked Bobby! Why would he lock the old man in a place that was obviously too cold to have someone live.

Suddenly, a furry hand gripped Dean’s shoulder and turned him around.

“What are you doing here,” the owner of the hand growled out, and it was obviously Cas.

“Someone’s grumpy,” Dean spat back. “Look, let Bobby go, alright? He’s gonna get sick if he stays here, if he isn’t already.”

“If he didn’t want to be locked up, he shouldn’t have trespassed here.”

Dean narrowed his eyes and growled. Why was Castiel acting like this? He should know better!

“Let him out, Cas.”

“He is my prisoner.”

“Take me as a prisoner instead, let Bobby go!”

“Dean, no,” Bobby called out.

“You will have to promise to stay here forever,” Cas rumbled.

“Scouts Honor,” Dean held up his right hand, managing a small smirk despite his confusion and outrage.

“Done.” Cas walks over and unlocks the cell door. 

Dean stares out the ground. He couldn’t figure out what was wrong with Cas, and it was bothering him. Did Gabriel do something? Did something happen to Cas while he wasn’t here to make him angry?

Bobby was dragged out by Cas, protesting the whole way. He was thrown into a carriage that began driving itself back to town.

Dean took a deep breath to try and calm himself down.

When Cas came back, Dean gave him a heavy glare. “You wanna tell me what that was just now?” He bit out.

Castiel just glared right back at him. “No,” he spat. “Follow me, I’ll take you to your room.”

Cas turned around without making sure Dean was following and walked on. He grabbed a candelabra that Dean knew to be Lumiere, or, at least, whoever was playing Lumiere in Gabriel’s twisted game. He could hear them whispering ahead of him.

He could hear the exasperation in Cas’s voice when he recited his next words like a practiced speech for school, they were flat and almost annoyed, “I hope you like it here, the castle is your home and you can go wherever, just not the West Wing.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever, just - what has gotten into you, man?”

Cas’s beastly shoulders tensed, but he said nothing. 

They walked through the halls in a strained silence, Cas only breaking it when they arrived at Dean’s room.

“If you need anything, the servants will attend to you.” He sounded much softer, and Dean could see a guilt in his eyes.

Another whisper in Cas’s ear from the candelabra had him tensing up again. “You will join me for dinner. That is not a request, but a command.” His voice was quiet yet still angry. He began to walk away.

“Cas, please,” Dean called out. 

Cas stopped walking.

“Talk to me, man. What’s going on?”

Cas turned to him again and growled. “Nothing.” He shouted, and slammed Dean’s own door in his face.

Dean let out a loud groan and flopped onto the bed. At least it was comfortable, because he was most certainly not joining Cas for dinner while he was in this mood.

Some time after Dean collapsed onto the bed, there was a knock at the door. He prayed it wasn’t Cas. Sure, he finally admitted to himself that he loved the guy, but Cas… Cas just wasn’t  _ Cas _ right now. As much as he would like to move on and get back to their moment from the beach, Dean didn’t want to be around Cas right now.

“Who is it?” He called out.

“It’s Lisa, dear!” A voice from the other side answered.

Dean frowned slightly and walked to the door. When he opened it, Lisa was a teapot. She and Ben must’ve been Mrs. Potts and Chip, then.

Dean backs up to let them in and accidentally bumps into the wardrobe.

“Oof! Careful there, brother.”

Dean almost laughed. Benny was a fucking wardrobe, and that was hilarious, but even that wasn’t enough to break through the storm cloud that had settled over his mood.

“This is just weird,” Dean mumbled.

“I hear ya, brother,” Benny said.

It was Ben that finally got him to smile. “See, mom. I told you he was handsome!” He had always had a soft spot for the kid.

“That’ll do, Ben.” Lisa says, but there’s laughter in her voice.

Dean picked Ben up by his handle. He wasn’t really too keen on drinking out of the boy who used to be like a son to him. To his relief, Ben interrupted him from taking a sip.

“Wanna see me do a trick?”

Dean just quirked an eyebrow.

Ben sucked in a breath and puffed his cheeks out. The tea inside started bubbling.

Dean chuckled while Lisa scolded the boy.

“That pretty brave of you to do out there,” Benny said, breaking the moment.

“We all think so,” Lisa said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, whatever.” Dean shrugged off the praise. 

He was only doing what he had to so he could get Cas, Sam, and himself back into the real world. Maybe when he got back he would get that hot blonde’s number, since Cas obviously wasn’t interested anymore. It would provide a temporary distraction to the heartbreak feeling that was sure to form later.

“Cheer up,” Lisa said. “It’ll all end up alright. You’ll see.” She smiled at him, then a startled look quickly came over her face. “Whoops! Look at me, talking the night away when there’s dinner to get on the table! Come one, Ben.”

Lisa and Ben left the room, the kid throwing out one last goodbye before they were gone.

Dean stood after they left and started pacing the room, thoughts once again focused on Cas’s strange behavior.

“Speaking of dinner, we should get you dressed for that.” Benny said to him. He opened himself up - and that was not something Dean wanted to see his friend do - and started opening and shutting some drawers. Finally, he held out a nice looking suit. “This would work, don’t you think, brother?”

“Yeah, no,” Dean said. “I’m not going to dinner. Now while Cas is all pissy.”

“But-” Benny tried to argue, but Dean wouldn’t let him.

“I am not going to dinner, and that is final.”

Benny simply sighed.

* * *

 

Castiel paced back and forth in the dining room, waiting for Sam to come back down with Dean.

“What’s taking so long? I told him to come to dinner.” He growled out.

Castiel had been on edge ever since he woke up in this new story. The feeling worsened when he discovered his appearance. Then Castiel began thinking of where they left off in their last story. Dean was about to kiss him, and he was about to confess to Dean that he loved him. It was the perfect moment. And surely after that, Gabriel would have let them out of these stupid fantasies.

Now he was stuck here for another story, with Gabriel, The World’s Most Annoying Candlestick, trying to give him advice. He had been doing perfectly fine on his own, when Gabriel meddled in the last story he - well, he just ruined everything. He dragged them out before Castiel was ready. Now he wasn’t sure he’d be able to work up the courage to confess to Dean again.

And all of this led to his current situation. He was angry, tired, and the body he was in ached. He was annoyed with his brother and himself, and for some reason, he was taking it out on everyone else. He didn’t  _ want _ to, no; he never  _ wanted _ to lock Bobby in the freezing dungeon, he never  _ wanted _ to shut Dean out, he never  _ wanted _ to yell at Dean enough to make him angry.

Yet he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

Perhaps the stress of the situation was finally getting to him.

“Try to be patient sir,” Lisa said. “The poor boy lost his father and freedom all at once.”

That was another thing grating on Castiel’s nerves. One of Dean’s old flames seemed to be a main character of the plot, and he was ashamed to admit he was jealous. No matter if Dean still felt something for Lisa or not, he couldn’t help but feel like she could tear whatever fragile thing they built in the last story to shreds.

“Master,” Gabriel cut in. Gabriel had been calling him that all day, it was really starting to grate on his already frayed nerves. “Have you ever thought that perhaps this boy could be the one to break the spell?”

“I don’t care about whatever spell you’re talking about, Gabriel!” He growled.

“Look, it’s simple! You fall in love with him, he falls in love with you and poof! The spell is broken. We’ll all be human again by midnight!”

Castiel barely bit back the retort “I already love him.”

“It’s not that easy, Gabriel,” Lisa said soothingly. “These things take time.”

Castiel and Dean had already _ had _ time. They didn’t need anymore. If Dean didn’t love him by now - which it was obvious he didn’t, he just wants to get out of these children’s movies - Dean wasn’t going to fall in love with him at all.

“But the rose has already begun to wilt!” Gabriel exclaimed in that ridiculous French accent he refused to drop.

Castiel had seen the rose when he woke up. A glowing, blood red rose just beginning to wilt floating in a glass case to protect it. For some reason, he felt very protective of it.

“He doesn’t seem to like me anymore anyway,” grumbled Castiel. “Especially not looking like this.”

“You have to help him see  _ past _ what you look like!” Gabriel exclaimed, then muttered, “That’s why I put you two in these roles. It’s not just like I choose them randomly.”

“Well, how do I make him do that?” Castiel asked, frustration flaring again.

Castiel decided Gabriel was somehow fucking with his emotions. Apparently he was so frustrated now that he used the word “fucking” in his internal monologue. 

“Well, start by making yourself more presentable!” Lisa said.

Castiel gave the two a deadpan look. “I am a large furry creature with no standards to be held to as there are no others with my appearance that look nicer.”

Lisa the Teapot scowled at him. “Straighten up! Try and act like a gentleman.”

Castiel sighed before standing taller and putting on the most formal expression he could with his new face,

“Ah, yes! And when he comes in, give him a dashing debonair smile,” Gabriel gave him an example as he spoke. “Go on, show me the smile.”

Castiel bared his teeth. Lisa and Gabriel winced.

“But don’t frighten the poor boy!” Lisa said.

“Impress him with your rapier wit!” Gabriel exclaimed.

“But be gentle!”

“Shower him with compliments!”

“But be sincere!”

“And above all…”

The two spoke in unison, “You must control your temper!”

Castiel was about to growl out that he knew how to treat Dean, when the door creaked. All three looked toward the sound.

Sam walking in, waddling humorously in his little clock form. “Um,” was all he said.

“Well,” Castiel growled. “Where is he?”

“Um, well you - you see. He’s, um, he’s-” Sam stuttered for a few moments before sighing and looking down. “Dean isn’t coming to dinner.”

“And why not,” Castiel practically shouted. 

He brushed past the talking household objects and made his way up the stairs to Dean’s room. He pounded on the door with a furry fist.

“I told you to come to dinner!” He shouted through the wood.

“I’m not hungry!” Dean called back. 

Castiel knew it was a lie, the man was always hungry. He was about to start shouting again, but Sam interrupted him.

“Cas, calm down. Dean probably doesn’t want to be around you when you’re angry like this.”

“But he,” Castiel grit out, “is being difficult!”

“So are you.”

“Be gentle,” Lisa jumped in.

“I would enjoy it if you came to dinner,” Castiel tried, keeping his voice level but loud enough to be heard through the door.

“Try tacking on a ‘please,’” Sam whispered.

“Please,” Castiel added.

“No, thank you,” he heard Dean snap through the wood.

Castiel anger returned tenfold. He got even angrier when he realized he had no reason whatsoever to be upset. 

“Then you can starve!” Castiel shouted at the door and stormed off to the West Wing.

He hated that he was acting like this, especially towards Dean. He just wanted to know  _ why _ .

When Castiel got to his room, he picked up the magic mirror Sam showed him earlier and said to it, “Show me Dean.”

The image shown in the mirror rippled and then showed Dean talking to his dresser, who must have been Benny.

“The guy’s not so bad once you get to know him, you know. Why not give him a chance, have supper with him.”

“I know he’s not so bad,” Dean grumbled. “He’s just so  _ angry _ . He probably wants nothing to do with me.”

Castiel sighed and put the mirror down before dropping his head into his hands.

“What is  _ wrong _ with me,” he whispered to himself.

* * *

 

Once it was dark out, Dean admitted to himself that he might have been a little harsh. Cas had been trying to calm down and asked him politely to have dinner and he  _ still _ turned the man down. Look’s like Cas’s anger had rubbed off on him. He just couldn’t figure out why they were so on edge.

Dean sighed and tip-toed out of his room. He had been lying when he said he wasn’t hungry earlier and he bet Cas knew it, too. He was always hungry.

Now he just had to try and not get lost on his way to the kitchen.

After a few wrong turns and having to backtrack more than once, Dean finally came across what he hoped was the kitchen. He could hear Lisa and someone else - was that Sam? - talking inside. Sam stopped whatever Lisa was saying with a hand to the mouth when Dean came in.

“Well, well,” Sam said. “Look who stopped sulking in his room.”

“I wasn't sulking!” Dean exclaimed at the same time Gabriel came in and chastised, “Sam, that’s not your line!”

“I just wanted some food, bitch,” Dean said to Sam, ignoring Gabriel’s presence completely.

“Jerk,” Sam replied.

Lisa lit up at his words and started instructing different kitchen appliances to do different jobs. Gabriel and Sam seemed to have a whispered argument under Lisa’s voice.

“Come with me,” Gabriel said cheerily when they finished, and led Dean into a large dining room.

“Oh no,” Dean moaned. “Are we going to have  _ another _ musical number?”

Gabriel gives him a cheshire grin. “ _ Be. _ ”

“No,” Dean said.

“ _ Our. _ ”

“Nope!” He said, louder this time.

“ _ Guest! _ ”

“You know what, I’m actually not hungry anymore.”

“ _ Be our guest, put our service to the test! _ ”

Dean tried to stand up, but the chair started reaching around him with a cloth napkin and he was stuck.

“ _ Tie your napkin ‘round your neck, cherie, and we provide the rest! _ ”

He pulled the napkin from his neck and placed it in his lap with a scowl. He looked up to see Gabriel dancing with some dishes.

Okay, so this might be a little entertaining. It’s not like he was actually going to let Gabriel know that.

“ _ Soup de jour, hot hors d’oeuvres. Why, we only live to serve! _ ”

Gabriel came up and held a plate to his face.

“ _ Try the gray stuff, it’s delicious. Don’t believe me? Ask the dishes! _ ”

Against his better judgement, Dean reached out and scooped some of the gray stuff onto his finger, putting it in his mouth and tasting it. Gabriel wasn’t wrong, it was delicious. Gabriel motioned to a cabinet at the end of the table and dishes started jumping out and spinning around on the wooden surface.

“ _ They can sing! They can dance! After all, sir, this is France, and dinner here is never second best! _ ”

Gabriel suddenly shoved a menu in his face, and his hands grasped it out of habit. He couldn’t even read the stupid thing; it was all in French.

“ _ Go on, unfold your menu. Take a glance and then you’ll be our guest, be our guest, be our guest! _ ”

Gabriel popped his head up over the menu and Dean quickly released it, not wanting to risk getting burned by the candelabra. Gabriel took the menu away and dishes started hopping past, close enough for Dean to stick his finger in to taste them. They all looked delicious, but he only had eyes for the pie down the line.

“ _ Beef ragout, cheese souffle, pie and pudding en flambe! _ ”

Sam popped out of the last dish covered in some purple-blue filling as Gabriel reached out and set it on fire, burning Sam in the process. Dean forced down a smile as Sam glared.

“ _ We’ll prepare and serve with flair a culinary cabaret! _ ”

A large punch bowl was on the table, and spoons with napkins tied around their handles stood on the lip of it. Dean loathed to admit it, but he was actually enjoying himself. This musical number was rather funny.

“ _ You’re alone and you’re scared, but the banquet’s all prepared! No one’s gloomy or complaining, while the flatware’s entertaining! _ ”

The spoons jumped into the punch bowl and did a mini synchronized swimming routine. Dean wrinkled his nose when Gabriel insinuated he was afraid. If anything, he was angry.

“ _ We tell jokes! I do tricks with my fellow candlesticks! _ ”

Gabriel started juggling the candles that were on his hands. A group a mugs, seeming to be filled with ale, got as close as the could to Dean and sang to him.

“ _ And it’s all in perfect taste, that you can bet! _ ”

Every object that had a mouth, and even some that didn’t, began singing now.

“ _ Come on and lift your glass, you’ve won your own free pass to be our guest, be our guest, be our guest! _ ”

Gabriel grinned and sang on his own again, “ _ If you’re stressed, it’s fine dining we suggest! _ ”

The rest joined in again, “ _ Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest!” _

Dean wondered if the dishes had choreographed this in their spare time one day, or if they all just somehow knew what to do when. He wondered that of the dishes in the actual Disney movie as well.

All the dishes moved out of the way and the lights went out except for one spotlight on a disgruntled looking Sam, who tried to inch out of the way. Dean bit back a laugh. Gabriel came and held him in place.

“ _ Life is so unnerving for a servant who’s not serving. He’s not whole without a soul to wait upon. _ ”

“Get off,” Sam hissed at Gabriel, and this time Dean did let out a small chuckle. Sam glared in his direction.

“ _ Ah, those good old days when we were useful! Suddenly, those good old days are gone. _ ”

“Snow” began to fall on the two under the spotlight, and Dean looked up to see a couple of salt shakers above them shaking out salt on their heads. Dean narrowed his eyes and thought,  _ How the hell are those things floating?! _

“ _ Ten years we’ve been rusting, needing so much more than dusting! _ ”

Gabriel dusted the salt off Sam’s head.

“ _ Needing exercise! A chance to use our skills! _ ”

Sam tried to get away from Gabriel, but he latched onto the clock’s leg, making him trip. He landed head first into some green jello. Dean threw back his head in laughter.

“ _ Most days we just lay around the castle… Flabby, fat and lazy! You walked in, and upsie-daisy! _ ”

Gabriel hopped on a spoon in the jello, launching Sam out of it. The next part of the song, Dean could hear coming from the kitchen, Lisa singing as she worked.

“ _ It’s a guest, it’s a guest! Sakes alive, well I’ll be blessed! Wine’s been poured and thank the Lord, I’ve had the napkins freshly pressed! With dessert, she’ll want tea, and my dear, that’s fine with me! While the cups do their soft shoeing, I’ll be bubbling! I’ll be brewing! I’ll get warm, piping hot. Heaven’s sakes, is that a spot? Clean it up, we want the company impressed! We’ve got a lot to do! _ ”

Lisa finally rolled out into the dining room on a cart and smiled up at Dean.

“ _ Is it one lump or two? For you our guest! _ ”

All the dishes sang again, “ _ She’s our guest! _ ”

Lisa smiled wider and sang, “ _ She’s our guest! _ ”

The dishes all came together again, “ _ She’s our guest! Be our guest, be our guest! Our command is your request! It’s ten years since we had anybody here, and we’re obsessed! _ ”

The dishes continued to dance, and Dean couldn’t say he wasn’t impressed with them. 

“ _ With your meal, with your ease. Yes indeed, we aim to please! While the candle light’s still glowing, let us help you, we’ll keep going! _ ”

Two long rows of candles rose up and started dancing with the dishes. Dean was certain there could not have been this many servants in the castle to be cursed. There had to be over a thousand dishes alone that he’d seen.

All of the dishes continued singing, but Gabriel’s voice rang out above them all, “ _ Course. By. Course. One by one, ‘til you shout ‘Enough, I’m done!’ Then we’ll sing you off to sleep as you digest! _ ”

Dean made a note to himself to tell them not to do that. He wasn’t too keen on having them all in his room while he tried to sleep, that was a little creepy. He widened his eyes and completely forgot that thought when a large and elegant chandelier came down from the ceiling.

“ _ Tonight you’ll prop your feet up, but for now let’s eat up! Be our guest, be our guest, be our guest! _ ”

Dean wasn’t sure how all these things were fitting on the table at this point. Surely it wasn’t  _ that _ large!

“ _ Please be our guest! _ ”

Dean sighed as the musical number ended, clapping slowly out of the sake of politeness.

Sam walked around instructing all the dishes and other objects to bed, then looked pointedly at Dean. “That means you too.”

Dean smirked at his little brother. “Nah, I think I’ll stay up a bit longer, look around and shit.”

Sam narrowed his eyes. “Fine. Gabe and I can show you around then.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, “You two are doing it all wrong! You have to quote the movie!”

Dean scowled at Gabriel. “We’re all sick of your game,” he muttered and walked passed them. He chose a staircase at random and started going up it.

“I wouldn’t go up there,” Sam called after him.

“And why’s that,” Dean snarked.

“That’s the West Wing,” Gabriel called out. “My baby brother is up there, and he gets very upset when people invade his space.”

“Yeah?” Dean asked. “Well, I get very upset when people are angry with me for no reason. If he’s up there, then I’m going to go talk to him.”

“Dean, wait!” Sam tried to stop him, but he kept climbing.

Dean’s first impression of the West Wing was that it could use the help of an interior decorator. The place was completely destroyed, wallpaper torn up and furniture thrown everywhere.

Eventually dean came across a room he  _ knew _ he shouldn’t go in, so what else was he gonna do other than waltz in like he owned the place? He looked around and found the room much in the same state as the rest of the wing, with one outlier. The famous enchanted rose.

The rose drew Dean to it like a magnet, he couldn’t help but walk up to the glass casing. He carefully removes the glass lid to get a better look.

The rose sparkled and seemed to glow in the dark room. Instead of being dark and covered in shadows like everything else, the stem was a vibrant green and the petals a deep blood red. Dean was absolutely enchanted by it and reached out to touch it. Before he could, a shadow fell over him and a paw reached out to grasp his wrist.

“I told not to come here,” Cas growled.

“Chill out, man,” Dean exclaimed, yanking his wrist out of the beastly man’s grip. “I wanted to come find you.”

That seemed to be the wrong thing to say - then again everything seemed to be the wrong thing to say to Cas lately - and it completely set Cas off. He yelled and started ripping and throwing furniture.

“Just  _ get out _ !!” He yelled.

Dean left quickly, not eager to be hit with a flying armchair. He knew from experience that would not be fun. He walked all the way down the stairs and towards the main entrance.

“Fine,” Dean muttered. “You want me to get out? I’ll get out. Get out of this fucking castle, get out of this fucking story, get out of fucking everywhere you go.”

Dean knew he wasn’t making sense, but he was angry and really couldn’t care less. He grabbed a cloak on his way out. He may be angry, but he wasn’t stupid, and it was damn cold outside.

“Dean?” He heard Gabriel ask.

“Come back!” Sam called after him.

“Shut up!” He bellowed and stepped outside, slamming the door behind him.

He hopped on his horse - somehow it was still there, Dean hoped someone had been feeding it - and rode out the front gates in a gallop. The sooner he was away from Castiel, the big piss baby, the better. That was  _ not _ his Cas. Not the one he fell in love with.

The horse ran for a good long while, before coming to a screeching halt, almost throwing Dean off. Dean looked up in annoyance to see what was wrong and his blood went cold.

“Shit,” he whispered.

Wolves. Now, Dean could face an entire nest of vampires himself without batting an eyelash these days, but wolves? And with no weapon, either? Needless to say, Dean and his horse hightailed it out of there.

Unfortunately, the wolves put up a pursuit. They chased Dean through a freezing river - Dean was rather upset that the ice broke under the horse and dunked them both in the water - and into a clearing. The horse reared and knocked Dean off, getting itself stuck in the process. The wolves tried to take advantage of that.

“Damned fucking animals,” Dean grit out and grabbed a branch lying in the dirt. 

He started whacking the wolves to try and get them to back off. It only seemed to make them angrier, as one grabbed the branch between its snarling jaws and snapped it in half. Now Dean was cornered with no protection.

“Shit.” He whispered.

A wolf jumped at him, and he closed his eyes, ready for impact. The feeling of teeth digging into his flesh never came, however, and he opened his eyes to find Cas fighting off the pack. Dean’s eyes widened.

He watched the movie, he knew this was supposed to happen, but he didn’t think Cas would actually come after him. The man seemed to suddenly hate him for some reason, and Cas didn’t know that he had to come after Dean to progress the story and get out.

Cas fought off the entire wolf pack, getting the same nasty scratches on his arm that the Beast did in the movie. Except Cas’s cuts actually bled.

The pack runs in fear after Cas displays his strength to them, and he turns to Dean with the most apologetic look he’s ever seen before collapsing.

“Shit,” Dean said again, then louder, “Shit!”

He walked over and managed to haul Cas onto his shoulder, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to make it far like that. He trudged over to the horse and threw cas over it’s back, unknotting it’s reigns from a tree in the process. He began the long walk back to the castle.

* * *

 

Castiel hissed through his teeth as Dean tried to clean and bandage the cut on his arm.

“If you would just hold still!” Dean grumbled, dabbing at the wound with a cloth.

“If you hadn’t had gotten yourself in trouble this wouldn’t have happened,” Castiel said petulantly.

“If you weren’t so pissy lately, I wouldn’t have left in the first place!” Dean spat at him.

They glared at each other for many moments before Castiel sighed and relented.

“You’re right. I’m sorry. I don’t know why I’ve been so angry in this story, I’m just frustrated.”

Dean hummed and went back to bandaging the wound. They sat in silence until Dean spoke as he was tying off the gauze.

“Thanks,” he mumbled. “For, you know, coming after me.”

“You’re welcome,” Castiel said quietly.

* * *

 

After upsetting Dean so much, Castiel wanted to do something for him. He needed to make it up to the man. He thought long and hard about it before coming to a conclusion.

As much as Dean would say books were for nerds like Castiel and Sam, it was clear that the man enjoyed reading as well. He knew more about literature than he let on, and sometimes he accidentally let that shine through when he was trying to be snarky. Castiel smiled as he thought of the perfect room to show Dean to lift the man’s spirits.

Later that day, Castiel approached Dean.

“I have something to show you,” he said. “To apologize for my behavior.”

“C’mon, Cas,” Dean tried to laugh it off. “You don’t gotta do that.”

Castiel frowned. “Of course I do.”

Eventually Dean relented, and Castiel led him to a set of doors. He paused right before opening them.

“Close your eyes,” Castiel said.

Dean rolled his eyes, but he had a smile on his face. “Fine,” he chuckled as he closed his eyes. “I’ll humour you.” 

Castiel opened the doors and led Dean inside by the hand.

“Don’t open them yet,” Castiel whispered, and he walked off to open the curtains.

Despite his eyes being closed, Dean squinted when the light hit him.

“ _ Now _ can I open them?” Dean asked in a teasing tone.

“Yes.” Castiel was grinning and he hoped it didn’t look as terrifying as it did last time he tried to smile.

Dean opened his eyes and looked around the room. His eyes widened. Castiel wished he knew what the other man was thinking so he could tell if he liked it or not.

“Cas,” Dean whispered. “This is awesome.”

Castiel smiled at him.

The next few days, Dean and Castiel spent as much time as they could around the other. They had every meal together, went for walks together, even just sat in silence together while one or both of them read.

At one point, Dean introduced Castiel to snowball fights. With how clumsy he was in his beastly body, it was no surprise that he had lost. They both came in from the cold that day with a smile.

As much fun as he was having - and he hoped Dean was having as well - Castiel knew they couldn’t stay forever. They had to move the story along, and though it was relaxing to just spend time with each other, the was work to be done in the real world.

Their last night spent in peace together, they dressed up for a nice dinner. Castiel couldn’t understand why they needed to dress up to have dinner, but Dean explained it was part of the movie. 

“I don’t know why, Cas,” Dean said. “The movie is just like this. After this we’ll go dancing, and then -” Dean cut himself off, smile faltering. When the smile returned, it seemed forced.

“And then what, Dean?” Castiel asked.

Dean shook his head. “Nothing. Let’s just enjoy the stupidly fancy French food while we’re still in this dumb movie.”

After the meal, Castiel and Dean made their way to the ballroom. They danced for what felt like hours, sometimes talking and laughing as they spun around and other times in silence, simply enjoying each other’s company.

At this point, Castiel knew what he felt for Dean, and he was hopeful that the man felt the same for him. The way Dean looked at him sometimes… There’s no way it could be simply platonic. He just didn’t know why they were  _ still _ dancing around the subject of their affection for each other.

After their night, Castiel was confused when Dean mentioned wondering about how Bobby was doing, especially since the query sounded so forced, but he decided to lend Dean the magic mirror anyway to see the older man.

Needless to say, Castiel was shocked to see the image change to Bobby, freezing and sick in the snow. Dean obviously more tense, but not surprised.

“You have to go help him,” Castiel said.

“I know,” Dean whispered back.

Dean started to leave, but turned around to give Castiel the mirror back. It seemed to be a half-hearted gesture.

Castiel shook his head. “Take it with you, just in case. It might help you find Bobby, give you clues of the surrounding environment.”

“Thanks, Cas,” Dean mumbled, and he was gone.

Castiel knew Dean would come back to him, and he knew that had to happen anyway to finish the happy kid’s movie. So why did he feel so on edge?

* * *

 

Dean searched for Bobby for half the night after leaving Cas’s palace. Despite knowing none of this was real, he was frantic. Not only was this figment of Bobby - a man who was like a father to him for years - very sick, possibly on his deathbed, but after he found Bobby and took him home… He didn’t want to think about how he had to “accidentally” send Michael and most of the town after Cas.

Eventually Dean found Bobby half conscious in a snow bank. He throws the man over the horse and starts the trek home. Bobby kept murmuring delirious nothings in the midst of his fever and it did nothing to help with Dean’s mood.

Some time after Dean got Bobby inside and warm, the other man came back to his senses.

“Dean,” he whispered.

“Heya, Bobby,” Dean tried to put on a smile, but it all felt forced. 

“How did you escape that beast?”

Dean rolled his eyes. “He let me go.”

Bobby’s eyes widened and he looked as if he was about to continue speaking, but Dean kicked his bag on his way to get the older man another blanket and a stowaway fell out. 

“Hi,” Ben grinned sheepishly.

Dean frowned. Did this happen in the movie? He wracked his brain, trying to remember.

“Didn’t think I’d see that kid again,” Bobby mumbled.

Ben turned his attention to Dean, “Why did you leave?” He asked, that kicked puppy look that only children could master on his face. “Do you not like us anymore?”

Dean sighed and squatted down. “I like you all just fine, Ben, it’s ju-”

There was a knock at the door.

Dean’s blood ran cold.

It was about to begin.

He walked slowly and carefully through the house, trying to buy himself time to think a way out of this. By the time he got to the door he knew he couldn’t, Gabriel would counter anything he tried.

Dean opened the door to find Tessa standing on the other side.

“Can I help you?” He asked coolly. 

“I am here to collect your father,” she replied in the same tone. She moved aside to present a wagon with the asylum’s name printed on the side.

“He isn’t crazy,” Dean countered with a scowl.

Adam emerged from the crowd that had gathered. “He was raving like a lunatic!” He shouted. “We all heard him!”

A few shouts of affirmation came from the throng of people.

“I won’t let you!” Dean shouted back.

Bobby made his way to the door. “Dean? What’s going on?”

“Ah, Bobby!” Adam cried with a malicious grin. “Why don’t you tell us again. About how big was that beast, would you say?”

“At least eight feet,” Bobby replied. “Maybe ten?”

Adam laughed. “You can’t get much crazier than that, eh, Dean?”

Tessa summoned two of her orderlies and they took Bobby away.

He moved to shout at Tessa, but she just shot him a look and walked away.

Michael walked up and tsked at him. “Poor, Dean. It really is a shame about your father.”

“This is your fault,” he hissed back.

“Now, don’t say that!” Michael pretended to be sympathetic. “It’s just the fear talking. I could, however, clear up this misunderstanding.”

“For what price?” Dean growled.

“If you marry me.” Michael smirked, like he had Dean cornered. 

“Excuse me?”

“One little word. Just one word, and this can all be fixed.”

“No,” Dean spat.

“Have it your way,” Michael said airily and started walking away slowly.

Dean rushed back into the house and grabbed the mirror. He paused just before walking out the door again.

“Forgive me, Cas,” He whispered, and stepped out into the view of the crowd.

“He’s not crazy,” Dean shouted at the crowd, “and I can prove it!” He turned his attention to the mirror. “Show me the beast!” He held the mirror high for all to see.

A woman from the crowd steps forward. “Is it… dangerous?”

Dean scowled. “He would never even hurt a fly. He’s not as cruel as he looks. He’s my best friend.” Dean wasn’t sure why or how that last part escaped his mouth, but it was too late to take it back now.

“If I didn’t know better,” Michael said, stalking closer to Dean, “I would say you had feelings for this…” his lip curled in distaste, “monster.”

“The only monster I see here, Michael, is you.” Dean said lowly.

“He’s as crazy as the man who raised him,” Michael yelled, wrenching the mirror from Dean’s grasp.

“This beast will make off with your children! He’ll come after them in the night, when no one expects it!”

“He won’t!” Dean shouted.

“We aren’t safe until his head is mounted on my wall! I say we kill this beast!”

The mob of people cheered.

“We’re not safe until he’s dead,” one man said.

Dean felt a song coming on and he nearly groaned.

Michael walked over to whoever spoke and nodded his encouragement and support.

“He’ll come stalking us at night!” Another man said.

A woman shivering with fear said, “Set to sacrifice our children to his monstrous appetite!”

Micahel look particularly pleased at that comment.

“He’ll wreak havoc on our village if we let him wander free!” One last man said before Michael took over again.

“ _ So it’s time to take some action, boys _ ,” Michael sang and grabbed a torch from a nearby bearded man.

Dean frowned. Were the women for some reason incapable of fighting as well?

“ _ It’s time to follow me!! _ ”

Michael threw the torch he had taken at a pile of hay, setting a huge fire to illuminate his song and dance. He walked around the area, making sure to stay close enough that the fire cast eerie shadows.

“ _ Through the mist, through the woods, through the darkness and the shadows; it’s a nightmare but it’s one exciting ride! _ ”

Michael chased Adam for a few feet, mimicking being a monster, before catching him and sitting him on the stairs.

“ _ It’s a beast! He’s got fangs, razor sharp ones. _ ”

Michael pulled up Adam’s upper lip to demonstrate.

“ _ Massive paws, killer claws for the feast! _ ”

Michael rose up and started prancing around a woman and he child, once again mimicking a monster. 

Dean tried to force his way through the mob to stop this before it began.

“ _ Hear him roar, see him foam, but we’re not coming home ‘til he’s dead. Good and dead! Kill the beast! _ ”

“Stop!” Dean shouted, making it through the people to Michael. “I won’t let you hurt him!”

“If you aren’t with us,” Michael threatened, grabbing his arm, “you’re against us! Bring the old man!”

Michael had Bobby thrown in the cellar and he tossed Dean in himself soon after. The doors were slammed shut and locked above their heads.

“We can’t have them running off to warn the creature!” He heard Michael shout.

“Dammit, let us out!” He yelled as loud as he could to be heard over the mob. Either it didn’t work or no one cared. Dean bet it was the latter.

“We’ll rid the village of this beast!” Michael shouted to inspire the villagers further. 

“He’s not even in the fucking village,” Dean grumbled.

“Who’s with me?”

Dean heard cheers and the sounds of Michael singing gradually got quieter.

“ _ Light your torch, mount your horse! _ ” The mob sang.

Michael took over by himself for a line, “ _ Screw your courage to the sticking place _ .”

Dean tried ramming into the cellar doors with his shoulder. It didn’t work.

“ _ We’re counting on Gaston to lead the way! _ ”

Dean tried to get the window open. He would’ve broken it, but the bars on it would have prevented him from getting out anyway.

“ _ Through the mist, to a wood where within a haunted castle something’s lurking that you don’t see everyday! It’s a bea… _ ”

Gaston and his mob were finally out of earshot and Dean could concentrate better on trying to free Bobby and himself without them singing.

“Dammit, this is all my fault.” Dean growled. 

If he had cut the movie short and confessed to Cas earlier… But he hadn’t. He was having fun. He had been vaguely secure of Cas’s feelings for him matching his own, so he looked at this movie as a sort of vacation. It was a poor choice to do so evidently, because now Cas and Sam and whoever else was in that castle was going to get hurt. He was selfish, and look where it got him.

“We’ll find a way out Dean,” Bobby told him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Just think about it for a minute.”

Dean sat and analyzed the situation. There was a noise from outside, but he tried to block it out. It got closer and closer…

“Chip…” Dean whispered with wide eyes. “Ben!” He almost yelled.

Bobby apparently figured it out too, because he shouted, “Shit! Dean, look out!”

Dean and Bobby jumped out of the way as Bobby’s invention from the beginning of the movie made a reappearance and chopped the cellar door to pieces.

Dean looked up and grinned. Then his face turned grim again as he remembered the situation.

“Come on,” he said. “We gotta go.  _ Fast _ .”

The trio got to the castle as quickly as they could, but Dean kept frantically worrying they’d be too late.

They were on the bridge when Dean looked up to see Cas lying on the edge of the roof, Michael coming up behind him.

“Stop!” Dean practically screamed.

Cas looked up and met his eyes. Dean couldn’t see him well through the rain and the darkness of the night, but he looked like he had started to fight back now.

“Shit,” Dean whispered and rushed inside.

He took the stairs four at a time, but they still slowed him down much more than he would have liked.

“Too many fucking stairs,” he grumbled as he panted. “Who fucking designed this place.”

It felt like he had been climbing forever when Dean finally made it to the top of the West Wing. He was terrified and on edge. He couldn’t remember exactly how things panned out from here on, only that Cas would die one way or another.

When Dean saw the smashed window, he rushed out onto the balcony in time to see Cas set Michael down and release the hold he’d had on the man’s neck. Dean wished he’d let Michael die.

“Cas!” He called out.

Cas looked up and looked overjoyed to see him. “Dean,” he breathed out, yet somehow Dean still heard him.

Cas scaled the roof of the castle and makes it to Dean. Unfortunately, they both got lost in the moment and Dean forgot the danger at hand. They gazed into each other’s eyes.

Cas let out a pained roar as he was stabbed.

Dean froze, angry with himself, then grabbed Cas’s cloak to keep him from falling over the edge.

Michael screamed as he fell to his death.

“No,” Dean whispered, barely able to hear himself.

He pulled Cas over the balcony railing, laying him as gently as he could on the ground.

Cas opened his eyes. “I didn’t know if you were coming back.” He managed to get out.

“Dammit, Cas! Why wouldn’t I come back! Shit, fuck. This is all my fault!” Dean growls.

“It isn’t your fault, Dean.” Cas’s voice was getting more tired.

Dean noticed him struggling. “Hey, hey, look! You’re gonna be fine. We’re together again, this’ll all work out!”

Cas smiled at Dean, putting a large paw on his cheek. Dean covered the hand with his own, trying to smile back at Cas.

The hand on his cheek went limp.

Cas’s eyes rolled back in his head.

He was gone.

“Dammit, Cas! Come back!” Dean shouted.

“Dean,” Gabriel’s voice was gentler than he’d ever heard it. “You know what you have to do.”

Dean looked back at Cas. “I - I need you,” he whispered. “Come back.”

Gabriel shook his head. “I wish it would work with your stupid Winchester language, but it won’t. Even though I know what you mean, you have to say the words.”

Dean hesitated. He didn’t know if he could do this, especially not with a crowd. Sam, Gabriel, and Lisa all stood just inside by the enchanted rose.

“Dean,” Sam said. “You are on a time limit.”

He spared a glance at the rose and saw that Sam was right. The last petal was about to fall.

Dean buried his head in Cas’s chest as to not be heard by the three household objects.

“I love you, Castiel,” He said as quietly as he could. He waited.

And nothing happened.

And he waited.

And nothing happened.

He began to worry he was too late.

Just as the first tears began to pool in Dean’s eyes, he heard a noise. Thinking he must have imagined it and not wanting to get his hopes up, he ignored it and kept his face hidden. He was not going to cry in front of  _ Gabriel _ . Not after he killed his own brother and showed no remorse.

He heard the sound again and again, and he finally looked up. Right as he raised his head, Cas’s body floated into the air.

Dean remembered this part. In the movie - not that he would ever admit thinking this to  _ anyone _ \- it looked kind of cool when the Beast transformed into the prince. In person it looked even better. There was light shooting out of Cas’s body and colorful shafts of light fell from the sky around them.

Finally, Cas’s vessel was lowered to the ground. Cas inspected his hands for a moment, as if to confirm he was alive and back to normal, then he turned to Dean.

Dean grinned wide and rushed over to Cas, hugging him as tightly as he was physically capable of doing. Cas did not hold back either, wrapping his arms as far around Dean as they would go and squeezing.

Dean never wanted to let go, but he did pull back slightly to look Cas in the eyes.

“Hey, Cas,” he grinned.

“Hello, Dean,” Cas smiled back.

Cas was the first to start leaning in, Dean followed soon after. They went slow, wanting to savor the moment. Their eyes closed. The familiar nose-brush happened, the part they never got past before. Their lips just barely touched…

And it was cut short yet again as they were teleported back to reality. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! As always, comments and kudos are always welcome! Let me know what you think and if there were any mistakes my beta or I missed.  
> Also, I found that on the last chapter the link to my blog did not work. I didn't go back to see if it was doing it on every chapter or work of mine (I really should have) but if anyone has any advice on how to fix that, please, let me know.  
> For now I'll just put the url to my blog: sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com. Feel free to come and send in prompts, ask questions, or just chat!  
> And with that, I will see you all next week for the epilogue!


	7. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of can't believe this is the end... Don't worry, though, I'll wait to get sappy until the end notes. I hope you enjoy the epilogue, even if it is a little short. (I actually almost forgot to post today. Sorry, guys!)

One second, Dean was about to kiss Cas.

The next, he was smirking at some blonde in a bar.

The exact spot he was in before he was teleported to that Disney themed hell.

Another second passed, and then his cell phone rang. Loudly.

Dean and the busty blonde jumped, and he smiled apologetically at her. He checked his phone, the contact read _Sammy_.

“Gotta take this,” Dean said, trying to look sorry. “It could be important.”

He answered the call and before he could even get a word out Sam spoke.

“If you’re at a bar with a girl, start acting like I’m telling you important news,” Sam said.

Dean widened his eyes, as if he was given shocking news.

“I’m giving you an out because I know how you are and I know what you would’ve been doing before this whole thing with Gabe happened. Now say something you would say to someone giving you whatever important news you imagined and get your ass to the motel room. I’ll leave to give you and Cas some privacy.”

“Y-yes, thank you,” Dean managed to get out. “I’ll be there right away. Bye.”

He hung up without waiting for Sam’s response.

Dean looked at the blonde and gave her one of those stiff smiles that only worried people seem to be able to give. “My brother got in a car accident.”

The woman’s eyes widened and she stopped trying to get him to look down her shirt. “Oh no! Is he okay?”

“I hope so,” Dean said, “but I better go to make sure.”

“Of course!” She exclaimed. “I really hope he’s okay! It was nice talking to you, though.”

He gave her another one of those stiff, worried smiles. “Thanks, you too.”

Dean all but ran to the Impala and sped off as quickly as he could to the motel. When he got to their room, Sam was nowhere to be found, so he had obviously been telling the truth about giving the two of them space.

His heart started beating out of his chest, but he was ready this time. He was ready to be with Cas, he was sick of dancing around his feelings for the man. And there was _no_ way Cas didn’t like him back. 

… Was there?

_Grow a set, Winchester, and find out,_ Dean thought bitterly, and sent out a prayer. _Cas, um, hey. Can you - can you come down here a minute? I think we need to talk about some things._

It took no time at all for Cas to show up. There was a flutter of wings and a _whoosh_ of air and he was there.

And he looked just as nervous as Dean.

So the first thing Dean did was whisk the man into another hug. They obviously both needed it.

Once it had seemed they both calmed their nerves slightly, Dean pulled back.

“Cas,” Dean started, and Cas seemed to brace himself, as if preparing for impact. “Cas, I - I…”

Cas’s shoulders seemed to fall, as if taking Dean’s inability to admit his feelings as Dean not knowing how to reject him. He looked as if he was preparing to leave.

Dean took a deep breath He never wanted to see Cas with that heartbroken look again. He took the angel’s hand.

“Cas, I love you.” The words were barely a whisper, but Dean knew Cas heard him.

“Dean, I - I love you too,” Cas said at the same volume.

Dean would never admit to anyone that he broke out in a goofy grin and had tears in his eyes.

“Yeah?” He asked.

“Yeah.” Cas matched his grin.

The two started leaning in when they heard clapping coming from one of the hotel beds. Dean pulled back and scowled.

Gabriel was looking at them proudly with a wide smirk on his face. He mimicked wiping a tear.

“They grow up so fast,” he said.

Dean flipped him off and pulled Cas to him, connecting their lips. Cas let out a noise of surprise.

Gabriel laughed and then the two heard the distinct sound of flapping wings, meaning he had departed.

Dean pulled away from Cas.

“So…” He said.

“So.” Cas mimicked, still smiling.

Dean grinned again. “So, Castiel, would you do me the honor of being my boyfriend?”

Cas’s smile grew. “It would be my pleasure,” he said.

This time, they took their time leaning in, knowing they wouldn’t be interrupted by Gabriel whisking them off to another movie. Needless to say, it was the best kiss either man had ever had.

* * *

“Told you I’d get them together,” Gabriel said with a shit-eating grin.

Sam rolled his eyes and laid back on the motel bed. He had gotten himself another room for the night, hoping Dean and Cas would talk things out after they got back.

“Yeah, yeah,” he replied, but he couldn’t help the smirk on his face.

Gabriel was saying something, but Sam elected to ignore him.

A smile bloomed on his face. His brother finally had something, or some _one_ , that is, to make him happy.

And Sam could not be happier for him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. It's over. A year of work and it's over now. This is my first real fic, not just a drabble or a jumble of loosely connected little stories. It's a real fic, and I'm proud of it, and I'm proud of myself, too. I never thought I would make it this far, honestly.
> 
> A lot of thanks goes to my beta, Rhi, or [thepageyestpageofblood](http://thepageyestpageofblood.tumblr.com/) on tumblr (no idea if this link will work, sorry guys). They put up with me not writing for months and my crappy writing in the beginning. They cheered me on and got me to write when I didn't feel like writing. They live-texted me as they read the newest chapter I sent them, screaming at me about the plot and how excited they were. They were a huge part of why I managed to make it this far. Go check them out! They also have an ask blog for some of their original characters in a book they're writing at shatteringangels.tumblr.com (It literally breaks my notes every time I try to link it so I had to just type it out. Sorry). 
> 
> I also really want to thank everyone who commented on this fic, left kudos, or even just took the time to read it. It means so much to me that people have enjoyed it. I especially want to thank all my beautiful and lovely commenters. Every comment made my day brighter, no matter how I felt before. The comments meant so much to me, thank you so much for taking the time our of your day to write me something. I really appreciate your support. 
> 
> That's it, I guess. That's the end of When You Wish Upon a Star. I'm not sure how I feel. I'm definitely going to miss it, that's for sure. 
> 
> Thank you so much for reading. As always, feel free to leave kudos or a comment telling me what you thought. Constructive criticism is always welcome. 
> 
> Feel free to visit me on my writing blog at any time at [sociallyawkward--fics](sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com). You can see updates on the fics I'm working on, send in prompts, or even just come and chat with me. I'd love to talk to you guys. 
> 
> Alright, then. See you all next time, I guess!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed! It's a bit short, but the actual chapters will be much longer! Leave a comment or kudos if you enjoyed, please, and if you have any constructive criticism or feedback, please leave it in the comments or send me an ask [here](http://sociallyawkward--fics.tumblr.com/) at my writing blog. See you guys next week!!


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